


Switchblade

by 5y8m12d



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Action, Angst, Drama, F/F, Flashbacks, I'm not sure about anything, OT3, Post-Heist, but not too much i think, i guess, probably, the girls all get in trouble and try to help each other out + love triangle?, warning: i'm still not sure about the endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-09-13 18:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 71,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16898145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5y8m12d/pseuds/5y8m12d
Summary: Barely a few weeks after the MET Gala heist, the eight women have managed to get into trouble they won't be able to solve on their own. Plus, a very important missing object will bring them together once again. They will find out all their problems might have something in common.Underneath it all, Debbie, Lou and Tammy will have to find a way to solve their complicated situation and the years of love and lies they have lived together.





	1. Constance's Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks after the greatest adventure of her life and so many more millions of dollars than she ever imagined she'd have, Constace is ready to take a look down memory lane. But her path is interrupted by a beautiful girl that ends up causing more chaos than either of them could have ever dreamed of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to the song "Switchblade" by LP, and I got so sad I decided to name a fic on its honor.  
> I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing and seriously, I haven't decided who will be endgame so let's see what happens, your comments will be very important.  
> I barely proofread so please point out any mistakes or recommendations. And of course anything you'd like to see.  
> This first chapter is like a little introduction.  
> Let's go. I hope everybody likes this and I'd love to read your comments!

Central Park was alive as ever on this particular Friday afternoon. Autumn had settled and it had, in no way, slowed down life around New York. Constance walked around mildly surprised. Yes, it was beautiful and the dynamics of the city were awe-inspiring. But for her, who considered herself new yorker first and human second, it wasn’t surprising, it didn’t leave her speechless anymore. Walking around New York, for Constance, was like moving around her new apartment, it felt like too much, too big and fantastical, but somehow it was her home and she was at peace in there.

She couldn’t help but drift over to the old spots were she used to perform her little tricks for the public. Her feet were eager to take her there, and as soon as she spotted new faces recreating her past in front of her, her hands itched to touch the cards. With more than enough cash in her pockets, she knew what she had to do. Constance sat down in front a girl that would have reminded her of herself a few months ago, if Constance would have had sickeningly high self-esteem. Because she didn’t feel like comparing herself to this girl.

With just one look, this girl, this complete stranger stole Constance’S heart and let it fall among the cards, proceeding to play with it, swiftly and carelessly. She had the level of expertise that Constance was familiar with, but her grace and her beauty were distracting enough that Constance, almost without noticing, lost a couple of bills in the game. Almost without noticing, she held hands through the park and before parting ways she was dragged into an alley. Then she noticed, more aware than ever, the kisses and caresses that were exchanged, wedged between haste and darkness. However, she was only conscious of her lips and every inch of skin that was in contact with the perfect stranger that had her pinned against the wall. She wasn’t particularly focused on the weight on her wrist. And a second later, she didn’t notice the lack of said weight.

It would only be the next morning, when Constance woke up breathing heavily and blushing madly, that she took a look at her wrist. Surprisingly, her hurried breath left it in a violent gasp that almost tore her soul away as if it had been hiding in her lungs since the day before. The crimson color abandoned her entirely and, pale a ghost, Constance finally noticed the absence of a watch. A certain piece of ambiguous origins and troubled history but high quality and personal value for a dear friend. Constance had just lost Danny Ocean’s watch.


	2. Put On Your Seat Belt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constance needs help, urgently. She has found three women she loves and admires. One of them she can't call for obvious reasons. Another one was strangely hard to find. But the third one, Tammy, was actually caught in trouble of her own.

The suburbs, the expensive cars, the unnervingly well-kept gardens, the particularly unassuming house that guarded one of New York’s “retired” greatest criminal minds. Tammy was in her garage, lifting bag after bag of her most personal belongings into the trunk of her car. Her hands worked steadily and her arms were using muscles she refused to let die, even after years of forced unambitious life. That task wasn’t meant to be performed while wearing her favorite sweater, but there wasn’t time for a change of clothes. There wasn’t time for anything at all. That’s why she was so caught of guard she genuinely screamed when a body jumped beside her.

“Constance! What are you doing here?”

“Hi mom,” Constance repeated, since her former greeting apparently was ignored.

“Oh. Come here. How are you doing? How you’ve been? Are you alright?”

Tammy embraced the younger one with all the affection she had for her - which was a considerable amount. Her mission was forgotten for a second, only for a second.

“Be a good girl and pass me those bags okay?”

“Where are you going, Tammy?”

“Uh, why are you here?”

During the brief exchange they had effectively worked their way into almost all of Tammy’s bags - the rest of them would be lost forever. A loud crash was heard from the inside of the house. Tammy cursed in anger and Constance cursed in confusion.

“The police is on its way, Amanda. But we came to give you a little visit first. Come out and say hi.”

A rough and smug voice called out and it sent chills down Constance spine, even if Tammy was impossibly calm and only rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Excuse me, who the fuck is Amanda?!”

“Shh! It’s me. And I’m in trouble. Now be quiet and stay here.”

Upon Tammy’s order, Constance obviously followed her into the house. They moved slowly and quietly. Constance had her eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment at Tammy’s situation, Tammy’s serenity, Tammy’s stealthy posture that almost looked like she was ready to fight - in fact, that was exactly what she did.

Knowing fully well that Constance was following her, Tammy made a sign to stop her. Then, in a quick series of movements, Tammy grabbed a pan from the kitchen and with it she hit the first man that rounded the corner towards her. His fall called the attention of two other men. All of them could have been twice Tammy’s sice. But the woman didn’t hesitate for a second. Her confidence probably threw the men off, still, they never stood a solid chance. One fell down easily enough and in the time it took him to get back up, Tammy had done a quick job at knocking out his partner - not without taking a few hits herself. Constance felt her heart stop everytime Tammy’s precious blonde head was caught by a fist. But they were far from getting the upper hand.

With two men unconscious on the floor of Tammy’s house, Constance watched open mouthed as the older woman deliberately moved her hand towards her waist, perhaps in the way to the pocket of her jeans, although it was obvious she wasn’t carrying a gun, Constance was almost sure of that. Still, the gesture was more than enough to scare off the last man standing. He ran away as if, or because, his life depended on it.

Tammy turned around and let out a sigh. She had merely been a witness but Constance was more than breathless.

“He’s going to get reinforcements or the police so maybe we should run.”

Taking Tammy’s suggestion at heart this time, Constance sprinted towards the garage. She had to anxiously wait for Tammy to calmly arrive, get them in the car and out into the street, away from the house they’d never see again.

“So, what prompted this visit?” Tammy asked softly when a prudential time had passed.

“Are you serious right now?! What?! What just happened?! What did you do?! Why?! Where are the kids?!”

Constance was talking and gesticulating so wildly that Tammy worried she’d fall out of the car, “God, please put your seatbelt on.”

Pouting, Constance complied. She crossed her arms and silently waited, knowing that’s the only way Tammy would answer, and she did.

“Well you just found me on a bad day. Turns out that a handful of suburban husbands found out I was the one deceiving their suburban wives and taking their suburban family’s money,” Tammy said with a smile “I got tired of their threats so I decided to run away, like we do. But, I guess they caught me at the last second. I had nothing to lose so I finally got to kick their asses.”

“What were you doing? What kind of cons?”

“A little of everything I guess. Mostly they were angry because I was influencing all the ladies to get a divorce,” Tammy laughed. “Four of them went through with it! Taking all of their husbands’ money and paying an enormous sum of money to their faithful lawyer… yours truly.”

“You faked a law degree?!”

“Please, Constance, I faked a PHD. Now, tell me why did you come to me? Why me?”

“You’re the most understanding one of my moms, you know.” Constance replied, and watched as Tammy amusedly rolled her eyes at the playful nickname. “And, honestly? I couldn’t find Lou.”

As soon as that name left Constance lips, Tammy scoffed loudly. “Well, she’s probably with…”

Tammy drifted off, unable to say the name out loud. But Constance didn’t have to know that. She didn’t have to know a lifetime worth of friendship and trust, lust and ambition, deception and betrayal, fears and insecurities but, most all, love. She didn’t have to know the details about Lou’s abrupt arrival in their lives and Tammy’s heartbreak, about Debbie’s downfall and Tammy’s lies. So she didn’t finish the sentence at all and didn’t say anything else for enough seconds to make it awkward. Not knowing what else to say and guessing it wasn’t the best time to ask about Tammy’s kids, Constance simply blurted out what brought her to the suburbs.

“I lost Debbie’s - Danny’s watch.”


	3. The Shoebox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constance has lost Debbie's watch, Tammy has lost has house and her peaceful life. Now they try to find Nine Ball just to discover their friend is just a troubled. And she's not alone.

With the fresh memory of Tammy’s violent pull on the breaks of the car after the news and thankful that they both wore their seat belts, Constance watched anxiously as they neared Nine Ball’s club. It took them a little too long to figure out there was something terribly wrong. Sure, they noticed the place, strangely, was closed on a Friday night. But they still meant to approach the door, knowing Nine Ball lived on the floor above. However, Tammy had parked on the opposite side of the street. She had taken barely three steps out of her car when a door beside her was aggressively thrown open and she was forcibly dragged inside.

In response, Constance let out a high-pitched scream and hurriedly moved around the car and barged through the door. She was ready to fight whoever was there, however she could, even if she only managed to wildly move her hands around, slapping anything in sight and jumping frantically. Surprisingly, what she found in there wasn’t threatening at all. In the dimly lit hallway were Tammy and Nine Ball, hugging each other tightly as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Hey… hello?”

“Hey kid.” Nine Ball finally moved away from Tammy’s embrace with a bright smile that was suddenly dimmed when she got a real look at Tammy’s face.

“I’m so sorry I tried to hit you! I’m sorry, sorry, so sorry, Nine-”

“Girl what the hell happened to your face?”

The inevitable uncomfortable silence that ensued led the three women upstair and into Nine Ball’s new, sad, little apartment.

“Nine, why do you live in a shoebox now?” Constance asked as she moved around the diminutive space of what she supposed was the living room, kitchen and bedrooms.

The only furniture, besides the bedroom and kitchen essentials was a worn-out couch, where Tammy was sitting, waiting patiently for Nine Ball to come back with a first aid kit. The place didn’t smell as bad as it looked. There was some dampness in the air, sure, but also the scent of recently brewed coffee, some perfume Constance wasn’t familiar with, recently eaten pizza and of course, recently smoked weed. The place was mostly in the dark, Nine Ball didn’t bother to turn more on more than a lamp and use the light coming from the window. From there, Constance was able to stare at her friend’s old place. All of it looked closed down for good, and that was a terrifying sight if she had ever seen one.

“So, what are you doing here?” Tammy asked while Nine Ball got to work on the bruise and small cuts on the woman’s face.

“Not until you tell me what happened to your pretty face”

Tammy blushed, then flinched at the pressure on one of her wounds and lastly she sighed, ready to explain.

“It wasn’t that bad, don’t worry. Angry husbands, you know? They figured out I was the one conning their wives and taking their money, they threatened me for a while and when I was just leaving they crashed into my house and well, I left.”

“She kicked ass! Knocked two guys out! Coolest thing ever.” Constance complete the story with what Nine Ball was surely about to ask.

“Damn. Then you just both decided to stop by my place to have drinks or some shit?”  
“Not exactly. We need your help.” Tammy answered, eying Nine Ball’s opened laptop laying at their feet. “But first I want to know what are you doing here.”

Nina Ball finished tending to Tammy’s face. It really wasn’t that bad, but a bruise was impossible to avoid at that point. She concluded her task with a kiss against tammy’s temple and then both of them leaned back against the couch. Constance had made her place to the floor in front of them, picking at the fabric of her jeans and eager to listen to Nine Ball’s story.

“Shit, I’m not even sure what happened. I got too comfortable, I guess.” Nine Ball crossed her arms and yawned, exhausted as if the mere memory of the tragic day was enough to wear her down. “I didn’t have to do any more jobs, obviously. But, you can imagine what happens when a hacker stays in one place for too long. Funnily enough the police and the other bad guys showed up the exact same day.”

Although her voice was amused, Nine Ball closed her eyes and relieved the painful memory of her downfall as if it was still happening. The police barging in, disrespecting her customers and friends, treating her like trash and taking her computers - they wouldn’t be able to prove a thing, she had her system, her backup, she had always been prepared for the worst. But as they were about to leave, a group of men wearing ski masks broke in the place. They obviously weren’t expecting the police, but their goal was simply to destroy the place, which they successfully did while fighting the police. Nine Ball barely made it out of there alive and with one functioning laptop. She could and should have have gone far away, but she wanted to keep an eye on her place, one day the people that kicked her out would leave and it would be hers again. Besides, she had nothing else left to do.

“Where’s Veronica?” Tammy timidly asked, as she moved her hand to rest on top of Nine Ball’s and give her a supportive squeeze.

“Don’t you know? That little shit is in Europe. She’s attending a fancy school, will go to college one day, do something great with her life.” Nine Ball smiled and subsequently made the other two women smile as well. It was one of the best things any of them had done with their money. “Okay, now, not that I don’t love to have your ass here but, why did you guys show up here?”

“We need to find Debbie.”

Tammy spoke firmly, before Constance said too much. But the younger was confused, she remembered barely clearly that in the drive there they agreed that telling Debbie was the worst idea and their last resource. However, it seemed that the hacker fully understood what Tammy meant.

“Right. And I suppose you can’t call her?” Nine Ball raised a playful eyebrow, but she picked up her laptop and started typing calmly.

“What’s going on?” Constance whispered-shouted.

“Um, the girls asked me to put some tracking devices on their stuff. So… one second and… there it is! Debbie’s watch is at-”

“Lou’s place!” Tammy exclaimed “Okay, that’s weird. But we can go there. We can talk to Lou and-”

“Nope. Bad idea. Lou’s not there.”

“Whatever. We can wait for her or, better yet, type your smart hacker things in there and we can find her. She’s always carrying her lighter with her.”

Nine Ball was stalling, avoiding eye contact with Tammy and Constance. In the instant the older one had opened her mouth to question the odd behaviour of the hacker, a new and different voice filled the silence of the small apartment.

“You are looking for me?”

Lou’s smug voice came from her place leaned against the door frame of the small bathroom. Apparently she had been locked in there the entire time. The bright light bulb of the small room was casting a light that would have made anyone else look ghostly and ominous. But, as usual, she looked poised and relaxed, powerful and beautiful.

“Mom! Hey!” Constance got up running and went for a hug.

On the other hand, Tammy silently got up, her heart was beating faster and faster and she couldn’t figure out how she was supposed to react. There were layers to her emotions, the first impulse to rush into Lou’s arms, the rational reaction of being calm and polite, the urge to start a fight and finally, the winner impulse, the caring side of her.

“Lou what the fuck happened to you?”

Tammy’s exclamation made Constance finally take a good luck at the friend she admired so much. Lou had a fading bruise on the left side of her face and she was wearing a bright blue cast on her right arm.

“Oh, this is fading, it’s nothing. Now, your face-”

“As if you didn’t hear through the bathroom door. Why were you hiding?” Tammy asked somewhat forcefully, she had taken the few steps necessary to stand face to face to her.

“I honestly don’t know” Lou smiled.

But it wasn’t any kind of smile. It was her bright an honest smile, it was the wide grin that warmed her crystal blue eyes and any cold morning they shared together. As if nothing in the world could bother her, as if she was amused by the entire universe, as if nothing mattered except for Tammy in front of her. That was something that could make Tammy believe anything the other woman said.

“So?” Tammy asked, trailing her finger’s over Lou’s cast.

The taller one of the two of them cursed the thing that was obstructing Tammy’s fingers from actually touching her skin. Still, the gesture was enough to raise goosebumps on her skin. So, Lou had to put some distance between them. She walked to the kitchen, the whole two steps over. And she got to work in getting herself a couple of pills and taking them with a glass she had previously prepared. Tammy couldn’t see what was in the glass.

“Fuckers. I don’t know who they were. I don’t even know why the broke into my club! I put up a fight but there were uh, more than a few of them. They weren’t nice about it… neither was I. I don’t know. They literally kicked me out. You know I can’t legally prove the place is mine, so I couldn’t exactly call the police. Every day I’ve gone past it they have somebody guarding the door. I have no fucking clue… about anything.”

Frustrated, Lou emptied the contents of her glass and flexed the fingers of her good hand, she was staring at the floor, waiting for the words she knew Tammy would say.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

“Do you want to hide in the bathroom with me?”

With just one stern look, Tammy was able to extinguish Lou’s smug look. The Australian got up, causally took Tammy’s hand and moved them towards the door of the apartment, throwing a “We’ll be back in a minute, I guess.” over her shoulder.

Inside the apartment, Constance and Nine Bell helped each other put together the missing pieces of the puzzle. Starting with Nine Ball hitting Constance in the head after hearing what she had lost. She asked all the details about Tammy’s fight and laughed at the cons she had pulled in the suburbs. Beside her, Constance listened with attention how her friend told her about Lou showing up, how the blonde was too proud to use her money to get a nicer place, or maybe she just didn’t want to be alone, Nine Ball had guessed. Lastly, all they could do was throw around theories about whatever had happened between Debbie, Lou and Tammy. That was certainly more fun than trying to figure out how on Earth did Debbie’s stolen watch made its way to Lou’s stolen place.


	4. A Kiss And A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tammy and Lou attempt to have a serious talk - they don't get very far. But a memory from more than a decade ago shines a light on a small fraction of their troubled past.

“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you.”

Lou mumbled against Tammy’s hair. The door had barely closed when the blonde had pulled the shorter one into her arms. They were holding each other impossibly tight. It was familiar, desperate and cautious all at once. A chill moved through Tammy’s body but she couldn’t bring herself to let out the words. Lou was lightly rocking them back and forth, rubbing Tammy’s back and nuzzling her head against Tammy’s hair, overjoyed with the intimate scent. One of Lou’s hand moved towards one of Tammy’s back pockets. Although the placement could have meant so many things, the real intention was significantly obscure and profound. Lou’s hand had been trembling until it got to clasp the small object Tammy’s kept with her at all times. The reminder of its presence was reassuring for both of them.

“Please say something?” Lou begged.

After letting out a sigh, Tammy silently lead them to sit on the steps of the stairs that lead to the exit of the building.

Tammy’s was holding tightly onto Lou’s good hand, she was biting her lips as a sign of nervousness but when she spoke her question she did so firmly and seriously, “What were you taking back there?”

The meaning of the words took a second to make sense in Lou’s head.

“Fuck off Tammy, are you serious?! That was water and painkillers. I don’t know if you noticed but I broke my damn arm.”

“Was it bad?” Tammy asked timidly, in contrast to Lou’s outburst.

“Tammy?” Lou asked, noticing the other woman’s eyes had watered a little, “You’re not going to cry, are you?”

Tammy raised the hand that wasn’t holding Lou’s and traced the fading bruise on the pale face she adored, “What did they do to you?”

“I was fine, babygirl, you have nothing to worry about”

“I’ve missed you too.”

Tammy’s words finished in a kiss, timid and sweet, just like the first time.

 

Thirteen years ago.

Two pairs of pink lips separated in a shaky breath after a kiss. The taller woman looked down with so much affection, with a newly discovered tenderness, with an emotion that looked too powerful, too close to love.

“I can’t, I can’t do this, Lou. Please don’t make me do it.” Tammy spoke shakily from below her.

“I think it’s a little late for that, darling.”

Lou’s answer was playful as she gestured around the mess of white sheets around their naked bodies. But her eyes carried concern, “Tammy, you could have said no. Didn’t you enjoy it?”

“Oh please, you know you’re great.”

Tammy answered quickly with a shake of her head. The couple moved around for a little, until they were sitting side by side.

“I can’t do this to Debbie.” Tammy whispered.

“Tammy, you know Debbie loves you. She’d die for you and you for her. But this is… different. I think the three of us will be fine.”

Lou’s smile was bright and it was unlike anything Tammy had ever seen before. It was hypnotising and she prayed she could see it for the rest of her life, even if she thought she shouldn’t.

Tammy had know Debbie her entire life. They had been best friends since the day they met. At least that’s what Debbie tells her, because Tammy was too young to remember. That’s how long ago it was. Naturally, as both girls grew up, so did their friendship. Of course they never had any secrets, not when their families collaborated on illicit business, not even when both groups had a fallout and Tammy and Debbie decided to run away together, start from zero, together. Friendship gave way to partnership, and soon enough the love that was always the root of their relationship moved to the surface and they became a couple that seemed too good to be true. Their personalities clashed sometimes, their methods for their jobs didn’t always fit and their long-term goals couldn’t have looked more different. But one day Debbie came back from a trip with the closest thing to a goddess on Earth that Tammy could have imagined.

Lou was a calm and charismatic addition to their dynamic. She kept them balanced and happy, grounded and excited about life. She was a good friend, a great friend, the best friend possible… until she kissed Tammy and friendship didn’t look like an option anymore. 

“So, what? I just have sex with you behind my girlfriend’s back?” Tammy asked, more forcefully than intended, getting too close to the line drawn around Lou’s fragile temper.

“It doesn’t have to be like that. I told you, this is different. We’ll think of something like...”

“I can’t cheat on her!”

“Well she doesn’t seem to have a problem with it!”

 

Tammy moved back from the kiss with a knot on her throat, but she needed to get some answers.

“I thought you’d be with Debbie.”

Yes, the name was painful to say out loud and apparently it was for Lou as well, the blonde cringed visibly.

“No. Do you seriously believed she’d be happy just with me this time?” Lou replied in a suddenly sour tone.

“She left? Again? But she was the one to ask me to leave after the Met gala heist.”

Lou remained silent. Then she watched not-so-happily as Tammy got up and held out her hand.

“Come on, I think we have a few problems you need to know about.”

“Avoiding a serious discussion about our relationship and fucked up history? My favorite hobby.” Lou answered and followed Tammy into the small apartment and into a series of problems bigger than she would have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I want to share that I was planning on posting this tomorrow but I... can't wait. And I can't stop writing. So I hope everybody is liking the story so far. Also I'm improvising a lot. But I think I decided about who's endgame ;) it might have a lot to do with the fact that I literally can't decide. Is anybody missing Debbie as much as I do? More surprises and the rest of the girls are showing up soon, I promise.


	5. Where's The Problem?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time to start sharing their real problems is nearing. But tying lose ends might need to wait until they fight their greater issue surrounding the disappearance of Debbie's watch. Still, there's always time for these girl to remember that they truly are friends. Lou is the right person to listen to Constance's personal struggles. And Nine Ball is the one on the receiving end of Tammy's impuslive confessions.

“What the fuck?!”

Lou’s overly loud exclamation was heard even in her hometown in Australia. But back in Nine Ball’s small apartment, she felt like she was losing her mind. She was standing up, her good hand grabbing her hair and her blue eyes were staring incredulously at Constance.

“How the fuck did you managed to lose Deborah fucking Ocean’s most prized possession?!”

“Lou, calm down.” Tammy begged.

“How am I supposed to calm down?! My gay daughter is going to die in the hands of one of her three mothers! That’s not okay!”

“You’re forgetting the part about the watch unexplainably ending up at your hijacked place.” Nine Ball commented.

“And I’m not gay.” Constance softly added, as if not wanting anybody to hear but needed them to know.

Lou continued to mess with her already disheveled hair some more, her mind was moving dizzyingly fast and she was annoyed at her heart for intervening with the probably least urgent subject. Tammy and Nine Ball had already started to further silence, chastise or interrogate Constance, but Lou interrupted them with her natural assertiveness.

“Constance, would you like to talk to me?”

Lou’s question was firm, her voice was still tense, but she managed enough gentleness to reach the young girl’s heart. At first, Constance face was that of utmost terror, but she conjured a slow nod that was enough confirmation.

“Well, I’m going to bring up a bag or two since it seems we’ll spend the night here” Tammy chimed in, with a small smile that immediately eased the tension in the room.

“Sure. Let me help.” Nine Ball contributed, but she was interrupted by Lou.

“No need. I’ll go.”

Her sudden change of plans received odd looks all around, Tammy had to remind her her broken arm wouldn’t be of much help and she walked out the door with Nine Ball right behind her.

Lou was left standing in the middle of the room with an expression too close to a pout that it evoked a laugh from the girl still on the couch.

“You’re jealous of Nine Ball?”

“No.” Lou said with finality, but upon hearing Constance's continuous laugh she elaborated, “it’s just so obvious she likes Tammy… who wouldn’t...”

Lou’s frustrated voice and how she ungracefully fell on the couch beside Constance wasn’t enough to bring the younger girl out of her head, “I don’t think anything is obvious for me.”

Lou was so familiar with the sentiment behind those words, “So, a girl?”

“It was just a girl,”

“It’s always just a girl” Lou said with a smile - but was interrupted by a frown, “well, sometimes it’s two but we’re not talking my problems right now.”

Making Constance laugh was the first step to get her to open up. After that, it was just a steady flow of conversation. It was just so easy with Lou, Constance thought. It was like the older woman had personally flickered through motherly qualities and only chosen the best ones. Lou was patient, caring and wise, but she remained serene, good-humored and a lesbian icon - exactly who she needed. So, Constance had a comfortable time sharing the experience that brought them there, the thoughts that had been circled her mind since then and even the few sudden realizations of emotions she hadn’t been able to name.

Meanwhile, leaning against Tammy’s car, Nine Ball was peacefully smoking as she waited for Tammy to make a single coherent sentence.

“But why would she leave? Because, I mean, she knows I left, surely. But is that leaving? So, did she leave Lou or did she leave leave Lou?”

“Tammy, why don ‘t you rewind a little and I’ll see if I can help you.”

“It’s so complicated…”

“Tammy, I can understand the three of you have been fucking for decades. Free love and shit. Now, where’s the problem?” At Nine Ball’s words, Tammy blushed furiously. “Is it your husband? The kids?”

Those questions sobered her up.

“Let’s just focus on the subject at hand. We know Debbie for some reason let Constance borrow her watch and Constance lost it and the thing magically appeared at Lou’s place, but Lou wasn’t there and neither Debbie.” Tammy’s serious voice seemed to come out to put the previous subject to rest, but Nine Ball’s eyebrows shot up when the other woman continued to talk, revealing so much and so little. “Because turns out Debbie wasn’t even living with Lou. She told me to leave after she found out Lou and I can love each other even when she’s not there and she left anyway!”

Tammy stormed inside the building carrying as many bags as she possibly could, more than necessary and more than anyone expected her seemingly-fragile body to be able to. Nine Ball was left behind, smiling while continued to smoke for another minute. She felt like things would soon fall into place, she only wished she could hear the entire story once it was completed.

 

Five months ago

Almost all the girls had finished moving away from Lou’s house. Since the moment the heist started Tammy knew this moment would come, she had been expecting it but never found a way to prepare herself. So, she was only mildly caught off guard when she walked in and she heard angry shouts from Lou’s bedroom. She had imagined the moment so many times that she almost predicted the words. She walked slowly towards the eye of the storm, and she waited a second at the door, she wasn’t particularly scared or worried, instead, her heart was breaking at the recognition of the emotion overpowering the rest: resignation.

“What’s going on?” Tammy timidly asked upon walking into the room.

Debbie and Lou’s argument didn’t immediately stop. Tammy picked up enough words and sentences to be sure it was the exact conversation she made up in her mind weeks ago. “Liars, liars, liars,” “Who are you to judge? Where were you?” “Behind my back!” “For her!” and more. Until finally Debbie turned around and stared at Tammy.

It was one of the greatest pains Tammy would ever feel, to see the woman she’d give her life for, looking at her as if she were a stranger.

“Were you… were you living with Lou while I was in prison?”

“Yes.”

Tammy answered while fearlessly staring into Debbie’s eyes, she saw them flicker with the acceptance of the truth.

“I can explain.” Lou spoke from behind Debbie.

Both women turned to look at her. Lou looked exhausted and somewhat scared. Just the sight of her was enough to break the pair of hearts that were standing in front of her. The three of them struggled to breath with the knots on their throats, wondering why love couldn’t be enough, why they couldn’t control it, why they couldn’t change it, fix it, rewind time, anything. In any way, Debbie turned back again to face Tammy, she stepped forward and talked to her best friend.

“I can forgive that you kept things from me. I just can’t believe you lied to me. You said you’d never lie.”

“The house of the suburbs… it really is mine. I’ve been doing some jobs there…”

“But the husband and the kids are fake? Why would you do that to me?”

“They are.” Tammy’s voice trembled as she watched the unfamiliar pain that was taking over Debbie’s face. “I mean, the kids are my sister’s kids. My niece and nephew. I asked to babysit them when I knew you might visit me. I thought - I thought that facade would keep you from - I thought it would keep us from trying and ending here again. But you caught me, you always do and I can never say no.”

Debbie gave another tentative step towards Tammy, “You wanted to keep me away from you? Would that have really been so bad? If I had showed up without the heist plan?”

“Yes! Debbie, yes! Because I knew you went to Lou first. I didn’t want to be your second choice again.”

Although Tammy wiped a stray tear from her face, surprisingly, it was Debbie who let out a strangled sob. It was so unusual, so unexpected from Debbie Oceans, the other two woman were immediately startled. Tammy couldn’t help but give the final step to stand right in front of Debbie, enough to hold her hands.

“Don’t you know I love you? More than anything in the world. I care about you a thousand times more than I’ve ever cared about myself. Tammy you are my life, since the first day, you are everything to me.”

“I know, I know. And you know I feel the same.” Tammy replied with an equally as shaky whisper as their foreheads touched. “You know I’ve wanted you more than anything. I always wanted nothing but you. But you always wanted one more job, another con, another heist… another woman.”

Debbie closed her eyes tightly and after opening them she kissed Tammy’s forehead and stepped back, angrily wiping the tears off her face and nodding repeatedly, “You’re right, you’re right. In fact, I - I have a few ideas. Yes, I’m - I’m planning something. I’ll need Lou. You should - you should leave.”

“Of course.”

Tammy’s answer made Lou shot up from her place where she had been sitting at her bed, “No! You don’t get to let her go again!” she shouted. “This could work! You’re just both too proud and stupid to realize it!”

When Tammy and Debbie walked out of Lou’s room, they moved in opposite directions, Debbie towards her room and Tammy towards the stairs, but not without turning around once and calling out over her shoulder, “Debbie. Just - more than one thing can make you happy, you know?”

The last echo of her words would haunt Debbie and Tammy every minute until they’d meet again under the most undesirable circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of really insecure about OT3's relationship but i promise I will fix it!! Everything will look good just,, give me time. I have big plans. Please let me know what you think, what you like, what you hate and what you'd like to see!


	6. A Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lou and Tammy's discussions of their relationship don't seem to bring them any closer to an agreement, besides, they're missing someone...
> 
> When one more friend shows up at Nine Ball's door, things continue to move downhill, to more confusing and darker places.

In one of the tiny rooms of Nine Ball’s new and hopefully temporary apartment, decorated only by the bed, one of Lou’s bags and her helmet, Lou was staring intently at the back of Tammy’s head, silently prompting her to say something.

Earlier that night, when everybody was settled, tired and ready to sleep, there came the question of where. Constance happily claimed the couch where she was already seated, Nine Ball argued that it was her place so she wouldn’t share her already too small bed. That left Lou and Tammy standing stiffly at the door of the other bedroom.

Don’t make it awkward, don’t make it awkward, it doesn’t have to be awkward, Tammy had repeated to herself the entire time they were getting ready up until the moment where the two of them got into bed and it was… awkward.

“Do you know what I think is stupid?” Lou asked in the darkness of the room. “The fact that you’ve left me twice and still you’re the one turning her back on me.”

Her voice wasn’t entirely upset, it was more amused than anything.

“I didn’t leave you…”

“No. I know. You left Debbie and I was just the undesirable baggage.”

Although Lou still sounded somewhat amused in her particular style, at that point it was undeniable the hint of genuine hurt behind her words. In natural coordination Lou moved to lay on her back, her broken arm resulting more annoying than ever, and stare at the ceiling just as Tammy changed sides to stare at her.

“You know… well, I don’t think you know but, maybe you should know… You – you are able to make me happier than Debbie ever did,” Tammy whispered and allowed the weight of the confession to settle before she elaborated. “Maybe ‘happy’ is not the exact word. It’s complicated but also, it’s the simplest of feelings. You bring me uncomplicated joy, you make me feel like I’m always standing under warm sunshine, you make me smile without a reason or maybe you’re the only reason I need to smile.”

Effectively, Tammy was smiling widely and sincerely. That was until the seconds of Lou’s silence stretched out too long, “It might be too dark to see you blushing but I know that you are,” she said and Lou laughed in response.

“But you love Debbie.”

“More than anything.”

With a sigh, Tammy moved to mirror Lou resting on her back as well and she continued to spill her heart, encouraged by the almost absolute darkness and the comfort of an entirely unfamiliar space.

“I love both of you more than anything. But you are who Debbie needs now – “

“You don’t know that.”

“Don’t interrupt me,” Tammy laughed with hint of sadness in her voice. “Debbie and I were great, God, ours was a glorious love. But that’s in the past. Maybe… Look, I’ve spent ten years without Debbie. May I remind you that five of those were without you too? I can keep going…”

“But is that what you want?” Lou asked, losing some of her patience. “Why do you always dismiss the fact that we love you? We both want you.”

After that, the room stayed in silence for a few second until Tammy whispered, “Do you think we’ll ever have a normal life?”

“Have you looked around you?” Lou laughed. “You and Debbie are great a lying to yourselves… If you really wanted a normal life, Tammy, you would have settled down for real instead of faking a husband… as if we could believe you’d tolerate a man.”

“Maybe I was still waiting… for both of you… like an idiot.”

Again, silence embraced them. They were exhausted. The longest argument in history, Lou used to call it. Truthfully, Tammy understood what Lou wanted, she wasn’t stupid, she knew how it would work and she knew that a relationship between the three of them could be the greatest thing ever, nothing short of perfect. She just wasn’t sure they could pull it off. She wasn’t sure they could work through decades of problems and start again. Worst of all, she wasn’t sure if that was what Debbie wanted.

“I love you,” Lou confessed quietly.

“I love you too.”

Once she replied, Tammy moved to snuggled against Lou’s side, sighing in contentment. “Where do you think Debbie is?” she asked.

“I have no idea.”

 

An overly loud knock on the door woke Lou and Tammy up with a start the next morning. As they rushed to disentangle themselves from the sheets and their hold on each other, they also started laughing at Constance voice coming through the door.

“Moms! Wake up! Can I come in? Are you decent? It’s an emergency! But it’s not that serious, I mean, you can get dressed. Are you done? Hey, answer me!”

“What’s up?” Lou finally asked when she got up to open the door.

She looked back for a second to stare at the angelic sight that was Tammy sitting crossed legged in bed, her hair tousled and her sleepy expression. Lou’s heart felt too big for her chest. But she was quickly brought down to earth by Constance voice.

“It’s Amita. She’s here.”

Flash forward through greetings, hugs and a comment or two about Lou and Tammy coming out of the same room, and then the group settled on the floor like expectant children waiting for Amita to explain herself. However, the woman was visibly distressed, the hot cup of coffee was trembling in her hand and there were trails on her cheeks left behind by recent tears. Considering she was in the company of Lou, Nine Ball and Constance, Tammy quickly realized it was up to her to be the sensitive adult.

Tammy stood up and sat down beside Amita, she placed a sympathetic hand on her friend’s back and spoke in the softest voice possible, “It’s okay, Amita, you’re okay here. Can you tell us what happened?”

“How the hell did all of you end up here? In this… here?” Amita asked bewildered.

“Amita,” Tammy insisted.

“Right, sorry. Well, it was awful, girls. It was nightmare.”

Amita took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes to the comforting taste and warmth. It was very hot, the steam coming from the cup gave her the illusion of travelling back to the previous night as she told every single thing to her friends.

She had travelled, the first few weeks after the heist was done. She had seen the world and met amazing people, but she missed New York. More than missing it, it was about proving herself. She needed to be in New York, she needed her family and the entire city to see that she had made it. She had made it on her own and she no longer needed anyone else, she no longer needed fake jewelry. So, last night, she had been sleeping peacefully in her recently bought apartment that was nicely decorated, exposing jewels all around. Then she heard a loud crash.

Maybe it wasn’t that loud, after all those people looked like professionals. Maybe it was her own nervousness that made her a light-sleeper, maybe it was the strangeness of living alone and in complete silence for the first time in her life. Whatever it was, she was incredibly thankful for it. Because it gave her enough time to peer out from her bedroom door and catch sight of at least three men coming into her apartment. They were tall, they walked like they were to fight to death. In Amita’s mind they were absolute monsters, coming right out of her nightmares to take what was her, all that she had dreamed of, all the she had rightfully, although not exactly legally, earned for herself. And they had her cornered, locked in her own room, frightened, helpless and alone.

“What did you do?!” Constance asked, her eyes opened widely.

“Well, there was the fire escape.” Amita replied, her smiled relieved everybody else in the room. “It was terrifying but I’m a professional too, right?”

Lou stared proudly as Amita opened her purse and showed a few of her favorite pieces that she kept in her bedroom and refused to leave behind. Amita continued to complain about the accident and the work of descending those damned stairs, but everyone was relieved about her making it out safely, until Nine Ball interrupted.

“Amita, that all sounds great but when you arrived here you were uh, pretty shaken up.”

It was as if those words physically slapped Amita’s face. She paled, her hands flew to cover her mouth and her eyes filled with terror again.

“Oh no. Well, really, after I left the apartment, I didn’t want to go to my parents’ house, I went to Lou’s.”

“Uh oh,” Nine Ball whispered.

A strangled gasp came out of Amita’s mouth and with a shaking hand she extended a piece of paper from her purse towards Lou, “He was so scary. He told me to give this to my team.”

Everybody was holding their breath. When Lou picked the crumbled paper, she felt it weighted a ton. She was slightly aware of the other girls rushing to her side to get a look at the message, but once she read the scribbled words in there, she couldn’t exactly make sense of anything around her.

“Give him up. And we might give her back.”

“Give her back? Do you think… do you think they have Debbie?” Tammy was the only one that dared ask the question in everyone’s mind, she was breathless.

Lou couldn’t have given her an answer if she tried.


	7. Have you seen Debbie?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like someone has captured Debbie, and as if that wasn't a problem big enough, her entire team is dealing with big problems of their own. They don't even have time to make sense of what's going one. One more of their friends needs them, and it could be an emergency.

It was a team effort from Tammy, Amita, Nine Ball and Constance to convince Lou that it would have been senseless to just go running straight to her house to demand they give her Debbie back. It hadn’t been easy. Lou was already attempting to put on a pair of boots when they finally made her realize she, literally, had a broken arm. Lou had thrown one of her boots at the floor and cursed in the most creative way she could and when she paled, Tammy had dragged her to their room.

“Lou, I need you to calm down,” Tammy said serenely.

“How? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? They have Debbie! Someone has Debbie! This could be so much more than jail!” – Lou started rambling and pacing the length of the small room – “We don’t know who they are, we don’t know what they want, we don’t know if she’s okay…”

Tammy sighed, this was Lou, she knew. Lou, who wasn’t afraid of confrontation. Lou, who was protective, fierce and daring. Lou, who loved and needed Debbie in her life. Finally, Lou, who’s fear so easily translated in just one look.

“I’m going to kill them,” Lou stated. “We’re going to find them and I’ll kill them and…”

Despite the real threat that Lou could be, at that moment she wasn’t all that rage, she was pure worry and anxiety. And Tammy was able to see it all, in her trembling lips, her nervous eyes, her tense shoulders…

“Lou? Are you okay?” she asked.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Lou confessed to Tammy.

She looked so vulnerable then, her broken arm with its blue cast pressing against her stomach and her face void of any color but the shining blue of her eyes. In two steps, she reached Lou and wrapped her arms around her. The tallest woman didn’t hesitate in melting into the embrace.

They felt the emotions, the anxiety, the fear, the love, in equal amounts. But they were both just different people. Lou’s emotions exploded inside her and clouded her mind and if it wasn’t for her broken arm no one would have been able to stop her from fighting heaven and hell until she found Debbie. And she wasn’t about to shed a single tear, she was not a the type that cried easily, but even if silently she was the one to break down in Tammy’s arms. Tammy, she could cry, easily. But she didn’t get so far in life by letting her emotions get the best of her. When she allowed it, when she wanted it, she was soft and fragile. But when she didn’t, she had control of herself so expertly that it seemed she also controlled the world around her.

“Ladies,” Nine Ball’s voice and her soft knocks on the door interrupted the couple’s intimate embrace. “I just checked… uh, Debbie’s watch has left Lou’s house… and we might have a friend waiting for us there instead.”

 

Constance chuckled again at the picture on her phone, a selfie from a putting Daphne, who had apparently arrived at Lou’s place and seeing it desolated texted the groupchat “where’s everybody?” Knowing Daphne, everybody should probably hurry to go meet her or else she would make a scandal about it. But considering the recent events the group had experienced, they basically flew from Nine Ball’s apartment into Tammy’s car. Lou took her bike and despite Tammy’s protests, Constance jumped right behind the Australian woman. They were sure to arrive first. That left Tammy, Amita and Nine Ball in an uncomfortable silence inside the car. Amita ad already been briefly filled on the circumstances that brought Constance to lose her calm, Lou to lose her house, Nine Ball to lose her bar, and Tammy to lose her suburban mom façade.

“I didn’t know you could knock people out…” Amita whispered at Tammy, trying to start a conversation.

But Tammy simply shrugged. What was she supposed to say? That was not the time or place to tell them that she grew up getting in fights for Debbie, that she forced herself to grow up and mature because Debbie was clearly not doing it and one of them had to. She couldn’t share, in a short car ride, the details of her training, so she could have Debbie’s back in more professional ways, in more sophisticated ways, in more deadly ways as their adventures and jobs got more complex and complex and Debbie’s ambitions grew. What was the point in letting them know that not even after Debbie came home with Lou one day, even after Tammy left them both, even as she constructed a perfectly fake life in the suburbs, she never stopped training, reviewing her lessons, her technique, her back up abilities for emergencies. Even then, with the bruises fresh on her face from the previous day, she couldn’t put it into words.

“Have you seen Debbie? Recently, I mean?” Tammy questioned Amita.

“Oh, yes. She came to my apartment for dinner a few days ago.”

“Was she wearing her watch?” Nine Ball intervened unexpectedly and with sudden interest from the backseat.

“I guess… Yeah, I think so.”

“Did she look okay? Maybe she seemed anxious or… scared?” Tammy inquired carefully.

“No, no I don’t think so. I can’t really imagine Debbie Ocean scared,” Amita replied. “Just her normal self,” she said. “She asked about all the girls… She asked me specifically about you, you know?”

But Tammy’s eyes didn’t leave the road, she didn’t even react.

“Come on, Tammy. Share a little bit of the story, for your friends,” Nine Ball said.

“What? What do you mean?”

“When I arrived I was damn sure Debs and Lou were married. But then you walked in and… girl, Debbie lost it. You have a thing, an energy, a power over them both. We know there’s something there, we’re just a little bit curious about how the story goes.”

Tammy was speechless for a second, she had really asked her, just like that. When she looked at the passenger seat, Amita was wearing a sheepish grin that showed her curiosity. Amita knew Debbie from years ago, but that didn’t mean she knew the details of Debbie’s love life. With a sigh, Tammy told herself that she might need to trust some friends, and maybe letting things out would help clear her head.

“I’ve known Debbie since we were around ten years old… she was a weird kid, she was so weird,” Tammy laughed, “but I liked her. I just did. It was a soulmates kind of thing. We just fit perfectly back then and we never broke apart. Not when our families started working together. Not when she started doing a few illegal things here and there, and not when I followed suit. Not even when our families got in serious problems. Someone betrayed someone and details never mattered to us. The point is that my family moved away and the Oceans forbid me in their household… So Debbie and I left them all. We ran away. Together. Just the two of us,” Tammy was smiling at the memories and her company was mesmerized in her story. “God, it wasn’t perfect, not at all. But then, strangely, it got better. Because she went by herself to Las Vegas, one time. She was helping out her brother, Danny, the only one in the family who approved of our relationship, she adored him. And Debbie came back home hand in hand with Lou… Now, that was a surprise, but it was somehow perfect, it was perfect… Until it wasn’t. See, Debbie was afraid of commitment, she barely managed one partner in crime let alone two. I, honestly, I was afraid of a polyamorous relationship, I just had always imagined my life… simpler. I did dream of a normal life, once. Then, Lou, well, I think Lou was just afraid of herself…”

When Tammy’s voice drifted off, she simply opened the door of the car and walked out.

Dumbfounded, Amita and Nine Ball looked around and realized that they had arrived at Lou’s house. They got so lost in Tammy’s story that they didn’t even notice. But there they were, there was Tammy running towards the door and there was Lou’s bike on the ground with two helmets thrown nearby.

By the time Amita and Nine Ball entered the place, they were received only by more surprises. Lou and Constance hadn’t arrived much earlier, just enough to break through the door, rush towards the couch where Daphne was sitting, untie her and pull the tape that was covering her mouth.

Daphne was an actress, she was a really good one. She was mostly a girl of romances, comedies, the occasional drama and of course a sci-fi feature here and there. But she wasn’t an actress of horror movies. She wasn’t experienced in the genre of desperate screams. She wasn’t supposed to ever wear the expression of utter terror she was wearing at that moment. She was a beautiful girl with a beautiful life and the horror in her eyes was painfully out of place.

“Rose. I need Rose. Please. Rose.” Daphne stuttered as the first tears finally fell from her eyes.

Not needing to be asked twice, Constance was already at the phone, trying to reach Rose. Tammy was kneeling in front of Daphne trying to calm her down with her best soothing voice. Surprising most of them again, Lou was quickly pacing the apartment, hoping to make sure it was safe, on her right hand there was a small gun with a white handle, and on her left hand there was a crumpled piece of paper that had been laying on Daphne’s lap when they arrived.

“This is not the one we wanted. You can have this place, but bring him to us or she’s dead.”

Debbie. Debbie. Debbie. They have Debbie and I’ll have to kill them all. That was all that was going on in Lou’s mind as she breathlessly moved through the whole place, not finding anybody to blame for the chaos.


	8. Can I Come In?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Personal issues keep rising even as the group struggles to catch a breath. They are finally back at Lou's house, where they always felt like they belonged. But Debbie is still missing that's taking its toll on Lou and Tammy, though they handle things differently. But more surprises still await them. There's still one member missing before the team is read to go look for Debbie.

Daphne had moved to a different couch, her head was resting on Amita’s lap who was gently stroking her head in a soothing manner and Constance was sitting in the floor near the couch, After filling Daphne in with a brief summary of the occurrences of the past two days, Constance and Amita listened as Daphne retold what received her in that place, instead of answering what was she doing in New York by herself, without Rose.

“Of course I had a bodyguard or two, of course. But, I’m cool, you know? I’m one of the team. Debbie probably wouldn’t have liked to have one of those men coming in here. So, I gave them the rest of the day free and I walked through the door by myself…” Daphne took a deep breath, she was more in control of her emotions, just shaken. “I didn’t see any cars or Lou’s bike, I thought it might be just Debbie in here or something. But then I walk in and there are all these people… maybe five of them. They were just watching a movie… They didn’t look very professional in my opinion,” Daphne said. Her friends smiled, noticing her real persona coming back to life to judge humanity. “But they were scary. They were very scary and very strong and it seemed improvised but they got me… They tied my arms, my legs, left me in the couch and put tape over my mouth… Their boss wasn’t here. I heard them say they had to call them and get a ‘thing’ out of here… they just left that damn note on top of me, I don’t know, they said some stuff, I think? Get him back, pay them back, I know this, I know that, things I don’t know, but I think… I think they do have Debbie.”

“What did they say?” Constance asked, apprehension clear in her voice.

“One of them walked up to me, put the paper in my legs, looked me in the eyes and said ‘Deborah is waiting. We won’t keep her forever.’ The expression on his face…”

At that point, Daphne closed her eyes again, she had been so scared. She felt lucky then, unscathed and surrounded by friends. But she had been so scared.

“Daphne, how were they so sure we’d come here to get you?” Amita inquired.

“They saw me take the picture… they laughed at me…”

Upon seeing Daphne’s pout, Constance couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. She immediately regretted it, though, when Daphne turned the tables.

“Now, don’t laugh at me. Tell me, do you have a girlfriend now?”

“No!” Constance nearly shouted, her own nervousness made her say more than she wanted. “Besides, I doubt I’ll ever see her again. I know nothing about her. She could be involved in all this for all I know. It’s all my fault, isn’t it?”

“Constance, I have a feeling that if Debbie gave you her watch, she already knew there was something wrong going on…” Amita said, somehow her words were a little too difficult to process for the conversation at hand, so they had to drift away a little.

“Also, if it makes you feel any better, my very successful career could have been more successful or at least it would have happened earlier if I hadn’t kissed the wrong girl at the wrong time and place, I was even younger than you.”

That was something Constance didn’t expect, her awe must have been visible on her face. Daphne finally sat up, abandoning the comfort of Amita’s lap and addressed the younger of the group once more.

“Come on, you can talk to me. You’re like my little sister now, aren’t you? You can tell me anything, I have… just a little bit of experience.”

Daphne clicked her tongue and winked, her smile was dazzling.

“Well, obviously, you look like a princess! I… don’t…”

“You’re a very pretty girl, Constance,” Daphne told her, seriously.

“What about the days when I don’t feel like a girl?”

 

Upstairs, in Lou’s bedroom, Tammy was pacing around, Nine Ball was busy with her laptop and Lou was sitting at the edge of her bed with her head in one hand and the broken arm resting helplessly and annoyingly on her knee.

“Hm, they just keep moving around,” Nine Ball mumbled as she stared at the screen.

Debbie’s watch was calmly moving through New York’s map without any apparent destination or purpose. Whoever was carrying the thing didn’t stop anywhere for longer than a few minutes.

“How come we can’t find out who these people are? We seriously know nothing?” Lou asked.

She had lost her cool, her patience, her confidence and her even her heart, which no one knew where she was.

“Nope,” the word popped out of Nine Ball’s mouth and it pierced through Lou’s nerves.

“Well try harder! And didn’t this place have security? Cameras, hacker things, nothing? You seriously can figure out a thing?”

Nine Ball, wasn’t one to cower at someone slightly raising her voice, but just her silence was enough to guess that Lou’s words got to her.

“Lou, shut up. This is not you,” Tammy said.

It didn’t do much to soothe Lou’s inner turmoil, but the blonde woman resigned to burying her face in her palm as best as she could and letting out a sound that sounded a lot like a growl. She was powerless when it came to Tammy.

“Nine Ball,” Tammy’s voice got the hacker’s attention as she sat beside her.

“Yeah?”

“How are you?” Tammy asked but received only an arched eyebrow in response. “We are not in the most ideal of situations and we’re all dealing with a lot right now… We need to check on each other, you know?”

At first, Nine Ball’s silence remained, she wasn’t planning on opening up. But Tammy’s innate softness, covering all the strength she had, that inspired respect and trust from anybody.

“I don’t have Veronica with me, I lost my house, I lost all my computers. All this money and it looks like I’m worse that how I was before all this… Uh, this,” Nine Ball handled her old laptop without much care, “it’s reliable and covers the basics but I feel… kind of naked, you know? I feel useless. If I don’t have the equipment… if I can’t do all that I used to do, what am I good for?”

“Well, I’ll tell you something,” Tammy said as she stood up from the bed. “You’re not worse, you’re doing just as bad as the rest of us”

Why did Tammy seem so proud at owning up to that sentence, that was a mystery for Nine Ball. Her uncertainty must have been apparent, for Tammy took an even prouder stance and affirmed, “I never learned how to swim.”

That earned a good chuckle from Lou, who hadn’t moved an inch until then.

“And Lou, looking as tall and mighty as she does, she’s terrible at most sports.”

“Now, that’s just rumor,” Lou grumbled in response.

“And Debbie is horrible, terrible, awful in the kitchen. She could burn a glass of water   
if you let her.”

The three women genuinely laughed at that.

“Now, who’s coming with me to see how our superstar is doing?” Tammy asked.

“Nah, I think I’ll stay here just a little longer, try to figure out… stuff,” Nine Ball replied.

She looked in a much better mood and when she dove again into her computer, she did so with her usual confidence. Tammy turned to Lou, awaiting her answer.

“Me neither. You can tell I’m not in the mood and I’d probably be of more help here.”

Tammy wasn’t about to fight that, but she didn’t leave without a serious silent battle with Lou. With just a look or a small gesture they communicated effectively. With a nod towards Lou’s gun, Tammy expressed her discomfort with it. With a shrug Lou let her know there was no point in discussing it. With an insistent look, Tammy implored conscience to Lou’s rational side. And with even the tiniest of nods, Lou promised her entire heart, guaranteed she’d try everything to avoid using that gun.

Afterwards, Tammy walked out of Lou’s room looking as composed as she had done since the moment Constance came to her for help. It was a practiced and forced calm state. But for the first time since that moment, she actually started to relax, not because they were solving their issues, because the reality was quite the opposite, the issues were piling on top of each other and there was still no sight of Debbie. But Tammy could feel that they were settling down on the path they were supposed to be, they could start breathing and thinking rationally, crafting a plan and moving forward, fighting back whatever obscure force that was threatening them.

She made a quick visit to the bathroom, to tend the bruises she wore on her face and making a mental note to look over Lou’s wounds. Then, instead of staying true to her word and going down the stairs to check on the rest of the group, Tammy opted for a few minutes of quiet solitude. She settled herself in the middle of the stairs, hidden from the sight of all her team. She could listen to the whispers and occasional laughs from the first floor and the murmurs of Lou and Nine Ball upstairs. It was probably not very smart to stay in there for too long, but oddly enough it felt like the safest place in the world at that instant.

Tammy couldn’t help but let her mind drift towards one of her favorite subject for all of her life – Debbie. Debbie her best friend, her soulmate, the love of her life. Debbie in all her stubborn glory, her thoughtful nature, her infinite beauty. Debbie with all her ironies and contradictions, her ambitions and her courage but also her serenity and wisdom. How could it be possible that life had pulled Debbie away from her? Yes, they were an imperfect pair, and even when they fitted perfectly they couldn’t avoid hurting each other, cutting each other and eventually running away from each other. But they had always found a way back to each other, hadn’t they? Their love burned bright and wild at times, tender and delicately at others, but they had always loved each other. They fought every obstacle fearlessly and they had stupidly allowed themselves to be the only obstacles they never conquered. This strange situation couldn’t be the one to end it all, this couldn’t be happening, at all. Tammy set her mind on finding Debbie, at any cost.

Her newfound determination made Tammy’s whole body feel alight with anticipation. Suddenly she felt restless and she was getting ready to stand up and walk down the stairs when she heard a new, different noise than the background conversations that ceased immediately after everyone heard the same interruption. The front door had been pulled open. The sound of footsteps approaching. The sound of Lou loading her gun. And when everybody was on their feet and filled with tension, the sound of uneven knocks on the hallway door and a familiar, nervous voice.

“Hello! Girls, is anybody home? Can I come in? It’s me. Me as in Rose. It’s Rose. I’m here. Can I? Come in, I mean. Are you guys there?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I hope everyone's enjoying the story.  
> I just couldn't wait to post this. There's more surprises to come and hopefully there's action in the near future because I can't wait to make Debbie appear. All the girls have their personal issue because I really wanted to give them meaning in the story as more than background characters. Most things like OT3 relationship timeline will be further cleared up in the upcoming chapters. But if there's something specifically that you think it's weird, doesn't make sense or needs explaining asap please let me know!


	9. Lou's story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe the group hasn't solved any of their problems, but at least it seems like they're all aware of them, finally.
> 
> Now, before they can do something about Debbie's disappearance and most of their personal problems, the girls are just curious about the story of Debbie, Lou and Tammy.

In the bathroom of a random fast food restaurant, Tammy was leaning against the sink willing a headache to just not show up. Playing her role of the calm and collected piece of the team was much easier when she had Debbie to take the weight of the leadership on her shoulders. So, when things got too stressful, instead of ordering pizza, Tammy offered to actually go out to buy food. Immediately feeling the relief of leaving the house for a while. And she was infinitely grateful that it was Amita who offered to go with her. That way, while Amita actually used the bathroom, Tammy spilled all her thoughts.

“It’s just too much, I don’t think I can handle… everything. Everything is happening at once. Lou is getting emotional, she’s on the brink of losing control of her emotions and I can’t let her lose herself… But then again, I lost my house, I lost an entire life! Nine Ball is also sort of in an existential crisis, she misses her sister, obviously. Constance is caught up in the storm of figuring out gender and sexuality and that’s not easy, you know? Then there’s Daphne and Rose, avoiding relationship issues, running away from each other. Debbie is God knows where… Jesus, I’m so worried about her… It’s just, a lot, I guess. Thank you for coming with me. Seriously, Amita, you’re such a great listener. I don’t know how you do it.”

Tammy continued massaging her temples but she finished her ramblings with a smile. She was genuinely glad to have Amita with her. That smile soon disappeared, though. Amita opened the bathroom stall and walked out looking sickeningly pale. She was holding something behind her back and Tammy was about to ask what was wrong when Amita finally said the words.

“Tammy, I’m pregnant,” she said.

In consequence, Tammy let out a sigh. She looked so lost it would have been comical in other circumstances. Her brown eyes moved around the small bathroom as if looking for help, the rest of her was paralyzed. Finally, she leaned in towards Amita’s direction and very softly whispered a single word.

“Fuck.”

 

Lou had been trying to quit smoking since she met Debbie and Tammy. She had mostly succeeded, it was just an occasional, rare thing she did. And she had mostly quit drinking during the time Debbie was in jail, for reasons she was not in the mood to think about. Perhaps she was just in the right mood, and that was the reason she should avoid those thoughts in the first place. However, that day, while Tammy and Amita went out to buy lunch for seven women, Lou was breaking a handful of her own rules. She was ungracefully slumped on one of her couches, a cigarette was hanging from her lips and a beer bottle was in her good hand and her broken arm was as annoying as ever. Constance and Nine Ball were worriedly staring at her. She was apathetically staring at Daphne and Rose. They were anxiously avoiding staring at each other.

“So, what happened there?” Lou asked them.

Just as Rose opened her mouth, Daphne interrupted. “I don’t really like the smell of smoke.”

“Good thing it’s my house, then,” Lou answered curtly, blowing smoke in an act that was alluring and intimidating in equal measures.

“And we don’t have Debbie or Tammy here to get her to behave nice,” Nine Ball whispered.

Lou immediately tensed and leaned forward, hanging her head and cursing under her breath.

“Where’s Debbie?” Rose timidly asked.

“Fuck, do we really have to repeat the whole story again?” Lou whispered irritably.

“Mom,” Constance addressed her.

When Lou raised her head and stared into the younger woman’s eyes she met a plead to regain her composure. That was a familiar sight, she remembered it so well. She was trying but it was proving to be so difficult to stay sane under such conditions. Besides, the sight that met Constance was much worse. Lou’s eyes were filled with unshed tears and the pain in them was so clear that it left Constance speechless then.

In an unusual move of taking the lead, Nine Ball was the one to summarize for once and for all the events that brought them all together. With her laptop always on her lap, she spoke slowly and with patience, Rose listened intently and nodding along, not losing the expression of a lost puppy. Nine Ball’s thoughtful act gave Lou enough time to find the strength to pacify her boiling emotions.

After most of the story was done, Daphne had a question for Nine Ball.

“So, you can track Debbie’s location because she never takes off that watch. What about the rest of us, are you spying us too? What secret objects are you tracking right now? My purse? Oh my God, is it purse?”

She was so curious, it was amusing for Nine Ball, who didn’t give her the answer she wanted.

“Nothing at all,” she smiled. “Constance’s never too far away from her phone, which I track easily. Amita texts at least one of us daily. And the paparazzi do my job keeping track of you two. I just to need to keep an eye on Constance’s three elusive moms.”

Nine Ball’s rich laugh filled the space with warmth, but for Lou it was going to be short lived.

“Well, I’ll try not to feel offended… So, it’s Debbie’s watch and what else?” Daphne inquired and Lou tensed instantly.

“Uh, Lou’s lighter,” Nine Ball replied just as Lou was lighting another cigarette. “And Tammy…”

“Can we just not?” Lou interrupted harshly. Then she took a deep breath, a sip of her beer and almost begged for a distraction, “Rose. What’s going on with you two?”

There was no point in fighting it then. Rose was ready to open up.

“We were doing fine,” she said uncertainly, gazing at Daphne who was purposely avoiding her eyes. “We were doing great, actually. It was perfect, right? A dream. Too good to be true.”

“But it was true! You didn’t have to ruin it for being too good.” Daphne interrupted.

“I don’t deserve too good! And you were the one who ruined it! You burst the bubble,” Rose replied, losing her intensity with each second.

“What?! I didn’t burst any bubble! I just wanted to make our bubble official. Make it a bubble home.”

“I would have accidentally set out bubble home in flames,” Rose desperately tried to explain. “Baby, I am a mess. Don’t you see you deserve better than me?”

“Don’t you think I get to decide that?” Daphne asked with finally and crossed her arms. She leaned back on the couch and stared at their stunned audience. “I proposed. She said no. I came here running. She followed me. That’s how she arrived here so fast. End of the story.”

That was a little more of a distraction than Lou bargained for. She took one more drag of her cigarette and still speechless she stared as Daphne addressed her specifically.

“Now, Miller, are you going to kindly share your story or do we have to confiscate your beer.”

“I killed somebody,” Lou replied without hesitation.

The whole group stiffened, Rose audibly gasped, Lou chuckled.

“Hold on, it gets better,” she said with a smiled as she got comfortable on the couch and rubbed the tense muscles of her neck. “I was in med school, in Australia. I was great, honestly. A future neurosurgeon. Then I fucked up. I fucked up badly, and a woman died. I still remember her face… I should have gone to jail, I should have rot in there.” Lou made a pause to sip from her beer. Although her voice was trembling, her eyes red and filled to brim with tears, not a single one escaped her. And after clearing her throat she continued with her story, dripping self-loathing and regret. “I walked free because of a stupid technicality, but I couldn’t stand the guilt. I fled the country and found my way to Las Vegas. Alcohol, drugs, women, you know, the whole pitiful deal, it was a cliché through and through. I was on the brink of killing myself… Then I found a distraction. A beautiful distraction. She had gorgeous eyes, a smile full of secrets, a last name full of crime, my heart hanging from her fingertips, and a girlfriend waiting for her at home.”

All the other women in the room were absolutely transfixed by Lou’s story. Constance took a deep breath after realizing she wasn’t breathing properly from being so invested. Lou continued talking.

“Debbie didn’t cheat on Tammy. She didn’t, no matter how hard I tried. But even with just a look, with just our conversations, with just helping her out a little with a heist job, I felt so much. I felt everything. I didn’t think it was possible to feel so much in the span of a weekend. I felt desire for her, sure. But I also felt a desire for life, an ambition, that I never thought I’d have again. So, when she offered, of course I followed her to New York. Debbie was a goddess, she was gorgeous, brilliant, charming… Then I met Tammy, God she was an angel, she fell from the sky or something like that,” Lou’s smile was so bright and honest. “It was perfect, for a while. We were working together, we were a perfect team. Debbie was a leader, Tammy was anything she wanted to be, I was there to protect them or push them forward if they needed to. All the while, trying my best to convince them that a polyamorous relationship between the three of us could work.”

Something changed, then, with Lou’s smile. It deemed, it turned nostalgic and painful for the rest of the story.

“It changed, of course, it always does. Things happened, sex happened, fear happened, and a sickness happened. Tammy got sick, very seriously. She had to go to the hospital and I couldn’t bring myself to just walk through those damned doors. I was sure that just my presence was going to be enough to… I couldn’t bear anything happening to Tammy, she’s my angel. Now, I’m not sure what happened between Debbie and Tammy in that hospital room. Those two are soulmates, I don’t know how Debbie could have possibly fucked up. But I just know that after that, Tammy never came back home. I was too scared to chase her. How could I? When I abandoned her, I never checked on her in the hospital, I never could… I never saw her again, not until Debbie was sent to jail, at least.”

That last sentence sparked curiosity among the group. But the question that slipped form Rose’s lips had actually been bothering them all for much longer.

“How did Debbie lose you? After Tammy, what happened?”

“See, Debbie likes to play this game where she pretends she’s all ambitious and no heart. When our love was too overwhelming for her, she’d turn to her job. But back then Tammy was dead set on wanting a normal life, a normal job, a wife, kids and a big house. Debbie denied it, I couldn’t offer any of that, and Tammy left. But they were the mighty couple, the criminal masterminds, I’m just a good partner in crime. Without Tammy things started going downhill. Debbie is… a lot to handle. I couldn’t… I wasn’t enough… Then the Claude Becker situation…”

It was as if just that name made Lou nauseous. She abruptly stood up and looked around as if suddenly realizing where she was, who she was with and all that she had said. She frowned and started walking towards the stairs.

“Can someone please make some coffee? Tammy will scream if she sees me like this.”

The group didn’t move until Lou had made it to the top of the stairs, because just then, the front door opened.

“Hello! I have the food! Also a pregnant woman is with me. I hope you are all ready to be aunts.”

That was Tammy, proudly walking in with Amita shyly following her. Gasps filled the room before the reality of the situation caught everybody. Plus, a whispered “Fuck,” from Lou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I'm not so sure about this chapter so please let me know what you think.  
> More angst and surprises and Debbie coming soon.  
> It might take me some days to post because seriously I got a little too invested with this and I need to get up to date with some boring responsabilities...but...yeah  
> So, please comment and share this fic if you like it!


	10. I Fell In Love With A Switchblade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Lou and Tammy's issues are coming to an all time high. They are forced into a conversation that is not pleasant at all, but it is necessary. Just as the painful memory of a fateful day they when they met just after Debbie went to jail. Debbie, who, finally seems to be coming closer. Can Nine Ball find out where their couragous leader is?

The group of women, although they had successfully pulled one of the greatest heists in history, they were terrible at keeping calm, keeping secrets, or acting natural on their day to day lives. Meaning that Amita had barely received her really loud, really cheerful welcoming, when Tammy asked where Lou was. This, of course, resulted in a chorus of stutters and finally trembling fingers and apologetic expressions in the direction of Lou’s bedroom.

Tammy didn’t know what to expect as she walked up the stairs, she could smell the smoke but her mind was refusing to connect the dots, until she stood staring into Lou’s room and she could she the blonde woman’s back as her shaky arm placed an empty bottle on her bedside table. Tammy took a deep breath, begged her mind to be rational and not jump to gray memories, but just in case she walked in and closed the door behind her.

“What are you doing?” Tammy asked.

“What do you think, Tammy?” Lou said, turning around with a cold look in her blue eyes. “I’m crumbling down.”

“Well then don’t fucking do that, okay?”

The tension in Tammy’s voice got Lou’s attention. In a mocking, singsong voice, she said “You can’t stop me.”

“As if I haven’t done it before!”

In a quick gesture, Tammy’s hand flew to her throat, as if she had surprised even herself by raising her voice.

“Oh? What’s that? Are you angry at me, Tam-Tam?” Lou asked.

If it had been anybody else, they would have deserved a slap in the face. In fact, Tammy considered doing just that. But she knew Lou, her Lou. She could see the unshed tears in those gorgeous eyes, she could hear the pain in her voice, and she could remember Lou five years ago. So, Tammy restrained herself, as long as she could.

“Come on, Tammy, don’t be afraid, lash out at me. Scream. Tell me how disappointing I am. Drop your act of the perpetually calm, loving, perfect lady. I know you, Tammy, scream at me.”

Was that a dare or a desperate request, Tammy didn’t know, but she couldn’t help but comply.

“You know what Lou? You are motherfucking stupid!” Tammy shouted, without hesitation. “You’re acting like a fucking fool! This is absurd! What? Do you think that going back to old habits you’ll get Debbie back? Did it work last time, Lou? Did it? Answer me!”

“No, it didn’t.”

Lou answered calmly as if the furious woman in front of her had asked her the time of the day. But Tammy was fuming, she was trembling with rage and emotion, her fists were tightened, and Lou internally scolded herself for finding that endearing. Truth is, out of the three of them, even back in the day, Tammy was the one more in control of her emotions. She cried with movies, yes, but that was because she allowed herself. In reality, she was their fence, she was the one infiltrating the environments of their victims to clandestinely move the heist from the inside. She was a great actress, she was multifaceted, she could hold her ground even when Debbie, with her ambiguous smile and expression of steel, broke down. And there she was, Tammy was crying and screaming at Lou as she had never done before.

“You have tried to kill yourself, again and again, all at once or slowly but surely with those fucking cigarettes and the fucking alcohol and we’ve been there. I’ve been there to stop you! To bring you back to life! Every single time, Lou! Why do you keep underestimating our love for you? Do you think I’ll get tired? Well here’s some fucking news for you, asshole, I love you to death, I’d die for you, and I’ll never, ever, give up on you.” – that sentence finally took the steam out of Tammy, she exploded and now she was coming back to herself. Unlike Lou, she didn’t hold back to cry, she was wiping tears off her cheeks as she continued to talk. – “I love you so fucking much, Lou, understand that? Please don’t be stupid, please. This part of your life is over, the darkness and the pain and the hopelessness and all the ugly things, that’s in the past. It’s time to move on, we can do it.”

Now that Tammy had finished talking, Lou lowered her head. She was speechless. She so desperately wanted to magically open her head and push all of Tammy’s words inside. She wanted to blindly believe her, but it was just so difficult for her to believe. At the very least, she could embrace the words for as long as she could, hold tightly onto them and let them warm her, even if it wouldn’t last, even if she didn’t actually believe she deserved it. After taking a shaky breath, Lou finally spoke, still not raising her head for fear the tears would finally escape her.

“Do you still have it? Can I see it?”

“Sure.”

Tammy felt exhausted, suddenly. And what she was about to do took every bit of strength she owned. But she’d do anything for Lou. She’d take any physical or emotional strain for the Australian woman that had stolen her heart so long ago. Tammy walked closer to Lou and in a painfully familiar gesture she reached into her back pocket, a brought out the small object she always carried with herself, the thing Nine Ball could track to determine Tammy’s exact position, the thing Lou reached for in times of despair, the first thing Debbie had given her as a gift.

Lou picked up the vintage switchblade and was surprised to feel her fingers steady, not trembling at all as she pulled out the blade and stared at the polished and sharp edge. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel it pressed against her neck.

 

_Five years ago_

_Tammy was sitting on the driver seat of her car, unable to get out or even turn off the vehicle. Her fingers were nervously drumming on the steering wheel and she was one hundred per cent ready to turn around and leave. What even was she doing there? It’s not like Lou had tried to contact her when it became news that Debbie had gone to jail. It’s not like Tammy needed to be there. But she knew exactly what she was doing parked in front of Lou’s house – if that’s what that suspicious warehouse was. She could feel her heart begging for Lou and she could feel her brain demanding to check on the blonde woman. The woman that underneath the grace and large confidence was hiding an emotionally fragile core. With that thought in mind, Tammy finally shut down the engine and hastily moved out of the car and into the strange place._

_She felt lost and even scared at first. She didn’t know where to go and the place, besides unusually cold, simply carried an odd energy that made goosebumps appear on Tammy’s skin. But then she heard it, as she was coming to the end of the gloomy hallway and into the doors to the main space, a soft cry, a faint weeping sound coming from the other side of that door. Tammy’s first thought was that somebody else was there, and maybe she should leave. She had never heard Lou cry, ever. But even if her mind denied it at first, ordered by an impulse of her knowing heart, Tammy’s feet quickly moved her through the door and towards the heart-breaking sound._

_When she had walked away from Debbie and Lou, Tammy had been truly miserable. She regretted her decision many times and she wouldn’t hesitate pointing out those first weeks as the worst of her life. But after being Debbie’s partner in life and work for so long, Tammy was somewhat excited about the prospect of independence, she turned her distress into action and worked hard and restlessly as a way of coping. But she never found out what Lou’s coping mechanisms were when Debbie left her for some man named Claude Becker. And she was just about to found out that Lou had simply stopped coping upon finding out Debbie had gone to jail. It was the combination of unhealthy, self-destructive habits, self-deprecating thoughts and sudden, absolute loneliness._

_The sight made Tammy choke with a gasp plus the feeling of all air leaving her lungs. Lou was sitting on a stool, her slender body was hunched and trembling with the sobs that were escaping her mouth. At her feet, a long rope was pooled on the ground. The damned object looked like a snake that had crawled its way up Lou’s body and wrapped itself around her neck to finally tie itself into a strong, definite knot._

_Seemingly eternal seconds dragged by as Lou continued to cry and Tammy continued to stare, unable to move. Not trusting her legs to remain steady, Tammy instead called out to Lou._

_“Lou,” she whispered. “Lou,” she repeated, louder this time to get the woman’s attention._

_“What?” Lou’s head snapped to the side to look at Tammy._

_She almost lost her balance in that rushed action. But then she was paralyzed. She was still crying, her eyes were red and she was struggling to breathe and struggling to think straight, she wasn’t sure if she was really seeing the woman that was staring at her from across the room. If Tammy could have moved her eyes away from Lou, she would have noticed the dozens of empty bottles strewn around the place, of every liquor she knew and more she had never seen. But her eyes were glued to Lou’s face._

_“I – I can’t – I think – I changed my mind… I don’t want to do this. Help me, Tammy.”_

_Lou’s words reached Tammy like lightning. She was brought to action by the realization that she was not too late. She rushed to Lou’s side, stumbling every few steps because she was still shaken, but she made it to Lou’s side. She stepped in front of her and placed both hands on Lou’s shoulders, as if needing to feel her still there, the shivers that moved her body were heartbreaking but still a reminder of her presence there._

_“I can’t – I can’t untie it. I can’t. I made the knot and I, I changed my mind but… I can’t untie it and now I’m so scared,” Lou stuttered through the tears._

_“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. Calm down, I got you. I’m here. I’m getting you out of this,” Tammy replied even though her own tears were clouding her eyes and her emotions were making her hands shake uncontrollably._

_Frustrated beyond relief and tortured by the sound of Lou’s sobs getting louder and more desperate, Tammy lost her patience with the damn knot and the rope, she was trembling too much and she found it impossible to untie that tight mess. She moved her right hand to the back pocket of her pants and pulled a switchblade that Debbie had given her a long time ago and that she often carried with herself even if just out of habit. This thing was stunning, it was vintage, the blade had a nearly magical glow and it fit perfectly in Tammy’s hand. But as she slowly moved it towards Lou’s neck, she wasn’t sure if that was turning into her most prized or most hated possession._

_“Lou, sweetheart, please try to stand still for me, okay? Just for a little, just try to not move, okay?”_

_Lou couldn’t stop crying but she managed to nod furiously, a hand flew to cover her mouth and attempt to steady her head. Then, Tammy got to work. She took a deep breath and with monumental determination, she steadied her hands enough to work through the rope with her switchblade. She moved slowly, noticing the edge of the blade was still very sharp and too close to Lou’s skin. She was almost done, it seemed there was only a faint thread holding Lou down to her despair, and finally, Tammy cut through it. Her blade moved past and reached Lou. The gleaming edge resting against the soft skin of her neck._

_Both women took a sharp breath and they came back to life as if they had been underwater all this time. Tammy put back the blade and rushed to push the rope away of Lou’s neck and even messily ricking it away from them. In those seconds, Lou managed to at least stop her frantic crying and when Tammy moved to stand in front of her again, she was sadly calm._

_“I’m sorry you had to that, Tammy. I’m not really worth it.”_

_“Lou, you are worth the world to me.”_

 

Still in the safety of Lou’s bedroom, both women had their forehead resting against each other and their fingers mindlessly playing together and with the switchblade they were holding. Tammy’s tears had dried and her breath had steadied, and Lou had finally found the courage to give back the blade and step back to talk to Tammy.

“I’m so sorry, Tammy. I lost my mind, for a little while. And I’ve underestimated your efforts in pulling me back to life. Again and again. You know it’s not easy for me, but I promise to try a little harder. Try to stay here, try to move on from the past, try to be the person you deserve,” Lou looked at Tammy with a charming smile and before the shorter one interrupted with her expected loving response, Lou continued. “Thank you, for never giving up on me. I love you too, alright? Immensely. To the moon and back.”

Tammy sighed with contentment. That was her Lou, with her sweet voice and the enamoring blue eyes. Tammy reached up to tenderly caress Lou’s cheek, and then she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her, to kiss her with all the love she could muster. And they were still kissing, when someone knocked on the door.

“Moms? It’s me again. You probably hate me by now, interrupting all your moments but, uh, we kind of need you?” Constance said.

“What happened, Constance?” Tammy asked, with a light laugh underneath her voice. Lou had wrapped her arms around her, awkwardly, considering her casted arm, but lovingly nonetheless.

“Well, Daphne and Rose started an argument with metaphors again. Amita kind of broke down because apparently the baby… uh, you know, the father kind of doesn’t want to be a part of this baby situation.” Constance explained, and those were bad news, of course. But Lou smiled, picturing the younger woman gesturing wildly just on the other side of the door. “Oh! And Nine Ball was checking her computer like a zombie this whole time and she says she probably knows where’s Debbie.”

The last word hadn’t completely left Constance’s mouth when Lou and Tammy hastily pulled the door open with stunned, hopeful expressions on their faces. It was time to find Debbie, nothing would stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you love longer chapters?  
> Um I hope this was good and that you guys like it. I hope the angst was just right. Hopefully things start making sense soon.  
> So... here's the switchblade! from the tittle of the fic. seriously, listen to the song by LP and cry with me.  
> I know we all want Debbie, don't worry, next chapter is THE chapter.  
> Anyway, please leave comments if you like it or if you hate something or if you'd like to see something and share the fic and I'll be back soon!


	11. Good Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Nine Ball really is going to be able to point out Debbie's location. Now it's up to the group to figure out a way to get to her. Even if they succeed, Tammy wonders, what will happen then? Has Debbie changed? Will her presence change things? Is their love going to be enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok favorite chapter! and it's long! get ready!

A shiver ran through Nine Ball’s spine. She was sitting in front of her desk, staring at her computer and behind her the entire team was crowded, staring intently and pretending they understood what was going on in the screen. It was so familiar. But it was also the strangest thing. Because it was just _fucked up_ that Debbie wasn’t there with them.

“Hm, okay, let me get a nice little map for y’all to understand,” Nine Ball said as she pulled up, effectively, a nice little map of New York, zoomed in near them. “See, that ill red dot is Debbie’s watch. It’s been moving the whole day, since it left this place.”

“I bet my right tit that they have mom in that car,” Constance said.

Despite her wording, Lou and Tammy silently agreed with her. As the red dot continued to slowly move in the digital map, Nine Ball continued explaining.

“Now, out of sheer curiosity, like they say, I thought of tracking its every move, minute by minute what it had done the whole day. Turns out that red dot over here has travelled a strict path, repeated over and over again every couple of hours.” That path became visible in a red line through the streets after a few expert movements of Nine Ball’s fingers on the keyboard, then, she pressed a few more keys a more red dots, motionless this time, appeared on the map. “Turns out that red dot also makes regular stops, there’s five of them, following a precise routine. And, check this out, the stops last no more than five minutes, except for this one place where they always stops for almost half an hour.”

“I bet my left tit their boss is in that place,” Constance, obviously, commented.

The room stayed quiet for a few seconds, it was obvious Debbie was the one who would have started talking right then. But after a sigh, Tammy spoke.

“Well, we’ll make a plan.”

“We attack immediately,” Lou said with finality. “Who’s with us?” 

She asked, as a formality, but when she turned towards the team there were five smiles ready to fight hell on Earth if necessary in order to get Debbie back. So, they had a hacker with a collapsed life, an identity crisis with legs that could lose her breasts in a bet, an emotional and possibly-single mother, and a couple that had recently denied their engagement. The group would be lead by an Australian with a suicidal past and a broken arm, plus Miss “recently homeless because I got kicked out of my house for conning the entire neighborhood.” They would be _fine_.

 

It took an inhumane effort to convince Lou that they actually needed a plan and certain preparation and that was what Debbie would have done. Because she was ready to just hop on her bike and go after the bad guys. But they made it, they convinced her she needed a good night of sleep – they all did, in fact. Even if no one seriously believed they could sleep that night.

In one room, Nine Ball was smiling at the screen, in a video call with her sister, Veronica, who was having the time of her life doing mostly legal activities in an European college. On the next room, Constance’s attention was caught by an article that went along the lines of “12 reasons you should stop taking online tests to see if you are gay – you are, trust me.” In another room, Amita was fast asleep, having nightmares of dozens of children asking for their father. And in the next room, Daphne and Rose were in a tight embrace, desperate for each other’s company after Rose had fought her insecurities and asked for a place on Daphne’s bed, they couldn’t sleep away from each other. Upstairs, Lou had finally grown tired of Tammy’s tossing and turning in bed.

“Tammy, what’s wrong?” she asked, playful annoyance in her voice.

“I’m nervous,” was the whispered response.

“No shit,” Lou laughed. “Why are you so worried? We made a great plan. In a few hours we’ll have Debbie with us, finally.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. And that’s great! Trust me, I’m desperate for this mystery to be over and for Debbie to come back already. But… it’s silly, really. It’s no big deal, just a little voice in my head, you know? It doesn’t even make sense…”

“Tammy,” Lou interrupted. “It’s okay babe, tell me what’s on your mind.”

The soft tone, the term of endearment, the prominent accent on the sleepy voice, that combination could get any information out of Tammy.

“What if everything changes? When Debbie comes back, I mean.” Tammy explained, “What will happen between you and me? You and Debbie? Me and Debbie? The three of us, can we really – you know? I mean, last time I saw Debbie she asked me to go away from here, remember? We have so many things we haven’t worked out and…”

“ _We will_ ,” Lou interrupted. “We will work through every single one of those issues, because we have to, Tammy. Debbie loves you, you know that. We have no idea what happened to her, I don’t even want to think about it but we can probably guess she’s not having the best of times right now. She’ll need you.”

Lou’s words were certain and soothing, and she was not wrong.

 

The driver of the shiny black van had recently left one of his required stops to check on his team and visit the bathroom, when a motorbike had started following him. But he wasn’t worried yet. He didn’t think much of the slender figure that was expertly driving a bike even with a blue cast on her right arm. He was nearing the next stop anyway, his team would take care of any possible threat. That was what he was thinking, until he noticed the smoke reaching the sky. That was alarming, but he didn’t want to overthink it. But when he made a turn into the right street, there it was. The building where he was supposed to meet his partners was caught on fire. The flames were breaking through the windows and onlookers were gaping at the sight. He couldn’t stop to check if his team had made it out before the fire reached that magnitude, he had to act naturally and drive past. But he did notice a second smaller bike starting to follow him as well, the younger and unexperienced driver was wearing a huge grin under the helmet she had borrowed from the other woman she fondly referred to as “mom”.

He was starting to feel concern. He looked to the back of the vehicle, the woman looked more awake than he had ever seen her, even with her hands handcuffed she stared attentively at the window. His partner just instructed him to speed up towards their next stop. He did. But waiting for him were more bad news. This next stop was a warehouse like the one they had previously occupied. This warehouse was surrounded by the police and a neighboring gang caught in a fight. That seemed familiar. People were already shooting and this driver had no way of knowing if his team was still inside the building or if they had ran away, but he was smart enough to just drive past, faster and faster. Even if now a car was joining the crowd following him. He couldn’t really see the mysterious driver and her company. He only glimpsed at the dreads on the head of the woman as she got in the car. And to his next stop he couldn’t even drive past. Turns out the entire street was closed. Apparently a famous actress and producer was there with her fashion designer girlfriend and their were signing autographs and that was a big deal. The driver of the van was more anxious than he had ever been. He didn’t even notice that the celebrity couple were the ones who escaped the crowd, jumped into another car and started following him.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The driver of the van felt like his heart would burst out of his chest. The stolen watch he carried on his wrist was burning on his skin. He was fearing for his life like he had never done before. He recklessly changed the route and started driving desperately fast but there was no way to lose the group that moved behind them. He had one last hope, one last stop. If his boss couldn’t solve this situation he was as good as dead. But he knew he’d be safe there. It was an entire building where he could run into and be safe. His boss was powerful, he was like a God, more like a devil, walking on Earth. So, the driver reached that last destination incredibly fast, relieved to finally be standing under the shadow of the shady building. Just when he parked, he noticed the two bikes had continued on for a little to park ahead of him, and the two cars stayed a bit behind, parked as well, as if they were all waiting for him. He was too afraid to get out of the car. Surely his boss would come out then, to save him and get rid of the troubling intruders.

Just as he expected, the front door opened and his boss came out of there. But there was something wrong, something so very wrong about it all. Because his boss, the most intimidating man he could have possibly imagined in a crazy nightmare, that man was unconscious and being dragged out of the building by a woman that looked like the picture-perfect sweet and unassuming wife of the suburbs.

“Hello!” Tammy cheerfully greeted him.

She was holding a switchblade to the neck of the unconscious man she was effortlessly holding up with her other arm.

The driver of the van fearfully lowered the window and stared at the woman as if she was an illusion. He stared at his defeated boss and felt otherworldly fear. He looked ahead of him and two women were pointing guns at him. Then he looked back and four women were doing just the same. There was no way out of that. The street was otherwise deserted. He turned again towards the frightening woman and he felt his own neck on fire, that blade looked impossibly sharp even from a distance.

“Would you be so kind to let my friend Debbie out of your motherfucking car?”

He had no time to answer, though. The handle of his partner’s gun hit his head violently immediately knocking him out. The attack didn’t come from his partner, however. That man was also unconscious on the floor of the van. All the women had slowly started walking towards the van, Tammy had throwing the man to the ground and put back her switchblade on her pocket, she was facing the door of the van when it opened and her breath caught in her throat. She almost feared she’d faint and miss the moment. But then it happened.

The door opened, and from that darkness emerged the one and only Debbie Ocean. Debbie stepped out of the van as gracefully as ever, she was fixing the strap of her brother’s watch around her left wrist, from the right wrist were hanging the defeated handcuffs. She locked eyes with Tammy and smiled. She briefly fixed her hair and looked around at her speechless team.

“Good job,” Debbie nodded.

Then, Tammy was the first one to jump into a hug. Tammy was crying, of course, so Debbie held her tightly. Constance beat the rest of them, running and screaming “mom!!” until she reached Debbie and dramatically dropped to the ground to hug the woman’s legs. Which was actually a smart move, because once Lou’s tall figure and Rose crying mess got a hold of Debbie, it was difficult to actually find a part of Debbie to hug. Eventually the group parted to give her space. But Debbie held tightly onto Tammy for one more second, enough to whisper to her best friend.

“Tammy, _please_ , take me away from here,” Debbie said with a heartbreakingly strained voice.

 

There was a silent agreement that Lou and Constance would go back to their bikes, Nine Ball and Amita would join Daphne and Rose in one car and Tammy would take Debbie in the other car. The group was still high on adrenaline and ecstatic to have their leader back. Only Lou stared somewhat apprehensively at her two loves leaving without her.

Once on the road, Tammy breathed deeply from behind the wheel and glanced at Debbie.

“Well…”

“No. Not yet.” Debbie pleaded.

“It’s okay.”

Tammy soothing voice, even with just that brief sentence reached Debbie’s heart. A little while passed and they were nearing Lou’s place when Debbie, with her head resting against her seat and her eyes tightly closed, finally spoke.

“Tammy, I don’t – feel like going… there, yet. Can you take me to a hotel room, just for today?”

“Of course! Of course, yeah, sure, no problem, yeah, I will. I just – I’ll let them know.”

She was nervous, that much was obvious. For the first time in her life, Tammy wasn’t sure what to say to Debbie. However, that wasn’t entirely bad. They were uncomfortable because of the situation they just walked away from. But Tammy and Debbie were still in perfect synch with each other. With one look at her, Tammy understood that Debbie needed silence, needed space, but needed her beside her.

“And will you stay?” Debbie whispered.

“I promise.”

 

The groupchat had been understanding and complained just a little for the answers they weren’t getting. But truth is, Tammy hadn’t heard much either. Debbie moved through the hotel room silently and almost mindlessly. She looked nearly lifeless and it was the scariest thing Tammy had ever seen. She was sitting on one of the beds, answering texts from their friends as Debbie took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes Tammy had thankfully carried in the trunk of her car, prepared for anything as always. It was a strange situation and Tammy reasonably felt at a loss. All she could do was read Debbie to know what she needed and simply be there for her. Which happened soon, immediately after Debbie finally sat down on the other bed, facing Tammy.

“Oh my God,” Debbie cried.

The expression slipped out of Debbie’s mouth and it took every once of the woman’s strength with her. Debbie broke down then, seriously broke down. Sobs exploded from within her and she became a trembling mess. The stubborn glue that had held her together long enough to keep her flawless image in front of her team had finally disappeared. She was nothing but broken pieces of herself. She felt like her body had finally given up and it crumbled and there was nothing she could do. She felt hopelessly broken, destroyed beyond repair. At least, that was what she thought, at first, not considering that a pair of familiar arms would promptly arrive to warmly embrace her, to hold her together. She wasn’t counting on the sweet whispers that would reach her in that moment of the despair, the tenderness of the voice that seemed to come from the heavens. There was an angel sitting beside her and she had been a fool to not notice years and years before. Tammy held her protectively in her arms until Debbie’s exhaustion put her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think???????  
> Oh my God I'm so glad Debbie finally showed up in the story. I love her. Someone please protect her.  
> I hope the chase of the bed guys made sense. And I hope you guys like the moment when Debbie makes her grand entrance because I loved that part lol  
> Now, I really should take care of the rest of my life and not prioritize writing fanfiction for few days lol * Carol's voice * I have much to do, and you, my darlings, even more  
> ghsfdjsdgh sorry for that  
> but seriously, I might not update for a few days because I'm genuinely busy and tbh I had the story figured out until this point maybe one more chapter but other than that i have only a vague idea of what comes next lmao so I'll work on figuring that out. I'm thinking of some flashbacks and Debbie getting revenge, of course. What else do you guys want to see?  
> So that's it for now. Please leave your comments because I love to see anything really!!! share the fic and be patient with me, I'll update soon, I promise.


	12. Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just knowing that Debbie is safe and sound should be enough to relieve Tammy of all her worries. But it seems there's something terrible wrong with her friend. Before they can move on, there's a lot that Debbie needs to share, and it won't be nice to say or hear.

A few hours later, just as the sun started to set, Debbie slowly woke up from her deep sleep. For a second, she feared opening her eyes just to meet with the dismal scenario of the past two mornings. Before she opened her eyes, however, she felt it – the warmth of Tammy’s body beside her. It was familiar and it nearly brought tears to her eyes just one second after waking up. 

They had been taunting her for years, that group of people. They were unpleasant and, let’s say, unscrupulous. But out of the circle of bad people she’s know, they were not exactly evil. The thing is, the entire Ocean family has borrowed money from the leader of that group, they always had. So, they owed that man money since before Debbie was born. They payed a little, they borrowed some more, they stayed in good terms and that’s how things were.

When her father died, Danny and Debbie payed his debt, and continued with the ones they had started. When Danny died, things were a little more difficult. Debbie was in jail and even when she got out, she had no way to pay them. That changed quickly, of course. She had now more than a few millions of dollars

In an unexpected act, so unlike her, Debbie had reached out to them and she paid off her entire debt. But when they demanded she payed all that Danny owed them, well, she had laughed in their face – they did not take it well. For a few days they tried to torture her, crossing paths with her on the street and delivering threatening letters. Debbie, however, knew them well, she knew they were harmless unless someone really, genuinely upset them. She had been planning on paying them, of course, she really wanted them to leave her alone. But, she was Debbie Ocean and she wouldn’t allow anyone to pressure her into doing something, she’d do it whenever she and only she decided to do it.

Before that happened, though, something changed. A local pickpocket had sold a stolen watch to a sketchy store who’s owner obviously recognized Danny Ocean’s watch. He passed the news that Danny Ocean was alive, roaming the streets and he had lost his watch. Just gossip, of course. But these people got so furious at the idea of being deceived by Danny and now Debbie, that they had caught Debbie that same day. She had been surprised and she struggled to keep her emotions at bay, but that night, when they took her into Lou’s place, which was trashed and with a nasty bloodstain in the carpet, and with no one answering her desperate questions, Debbie’s weakness had been exploited. The next morning, they had took her into the damn car that wouldn’t stop until the next day.

It had been a miracle, according to Debbie’s definition, she was still emotional about it. That’s why, the moment she woke up, her head on Tammy’s lap and she looked up to see the light of the sunset reaching Tammy’s head and making her look angelical, Debbie shuddered and closed her eyes, pressed her face into Tammy’s body and held her impossibly tight.

“Hey there. Did you had a good sleep?” Tammy asked her softly, putting her cellphone aside.

Debbie mumbled her response and after Tammy fondly laughed she pulled back and actually let out the words.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

“How could I not?”

Debbie sighed and gave Tammy space so the younger woman could settle down more comfortably so there were now staring face to face.

“Well, I’ve probably given you a thousand reasons to not be here. Thank you, Tammy.”

Tammy was caught of guard. Whatever Debbie went through the past days, it had reached a tender part of her. These soulful conversations were not Debbie’s greatest friend.

“I was a little surprised, you know? That you wanted _me_ to be the one to come here with you.”

Tammy spoke softly, for fear of scary Debbie away. It was true she had been surprised. She thought she was the last person Debbie wanted to see. Debbie could have asked to stay with anyone else. Constance, who basically worshipped her. Amita, an old friend. Or, well, maybe her actual _girlfriend_ , Lou. Tammy tensed for a second when Debbie moved to rest on her back with her eyes closed, but then Debbie spoke again.

“I got out of that damn car of nightmares and the first thing I saw was you. My best friend. And my heart just _knew_. You are the – I always – I’ve always wanted you. And I’ve always needed you.”

“Oh, Debbie.” Tammy whispered, as she moved to hold Debbie and softly kiss her temple.

Debbie tried hard to swallow the knot on her throat and rely on the feeling that came from being in Tammy’s arms after so long. Tammy was touched by the admission and Debbie strained just to say that aloud. But they weren’t so affected by those words, those were tings that technically both of them already knew. It was the simple fact that Debbie was saying all those things, that she felt the need to, as if she wouldn’t have another chance, as if she thought Tammy wouldn’t know.

“I think they ruined me.” Debbie whispered with certain annoyance creeping into her voice.

“No way. You are Debbie Ocean, no one can defeat you.”

When she turned to her side, Debbie met Tammy’s bright eyes and tender smile and some of the terror she had been carrying finally started to slip off of her. Things would be fine, she had Tammy with her, all the girls were fine, they were safe.

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Debbie replied.

“When was the last time you ate something?”

“Maybe I am a little hungry,” Debbie laughed, but it immediately turned into panic when Tammy started to move away. “Where are you going?!”

“To the phone,” Tammy laughed awkwardly, “I’m just going to order room service.”

“Oh,” Debbie whispered.

That was something that broke, completely crashed Tammy’s heart. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagine Debbie to be so fragile.

“Wait!” Debbie called out the moment Tammy picked up the phone. “There are a few things that I have to get out of my chest. I need to tell you right now, before dinner, because – I feel like I’ll get sick…”

Debbie smiled, but it was a pained smile and it left Tammy speechless, she had no idea what she was about to hear.

 

Debbie’s plan had been to rush through the story, without too many details, without too many emotions. But even if subconsciously, she was stalling. She was sharing the details of her entire family’s involvement with the troublesome group they were dealing with. “We payed a little, we borrowed some more, we stayed in good terms and that’s how things were…” she said. “When my dad died…” she continued talking and talking. “So, I payed off my debt,” Debbie said, then gulped nervously, she wasn’t about to explain her exact reason, “Then they thought they could demand that I payed Danny’s debt… as if they could just demand something from me,” Debbie rolled her eyes and Tammy smiled, seeing a glimpse of her best friend in there.

Then the entire atmosphere of the room changed. Debbie got restless and she started pacing the length of the hotel room as Tammy listened sitting cross-legged on the bed giving Debbie her space as she started sharing the details of the days when they were taunting her. “I stopped going out with Lou, because I’d always see one of them, just staring at us from the corner… By then I was already living on my own,” Debbie looked away from Tammy, that was a conversation for another day. “But the letter were terrible as well, I mean, they were silly, melodramatic at best, but it was the fact that they knew where I was that frightened me the most.”

“Can I ask why you gave Constance your watch?” Tammy asked Debbie timidly. “Were you… Debbie were you actually fearing for your life?”

Debbie almost wanted to smile, had the subject not been so grim. Tammy just knew her so well, her every moved, Tammy could determine her intentions right away.

“Constance’s always wanted it…”

“Didn’t you know that was the only way we’d have to find you?” Tammy questioned her, more forcefully then, but her next question came out breathlessly, “Did you not want to be found?”

“Tammy, I was scared!” There it was. First time Debbie Ocean actually admitted it like that. She was finally breaking down and it had both them crying almost instantly. “I was scared, I was worried, I was terrified! I admit it, they got into my head, and it was stupid, I know it was, they were amateurs at best, from what I remembered, but they scared me… They were so deep in my head, it was torture. I felt watched, I felt caged, I felt vulnerable and helpless!”

While Tammy constantly wiped her tears away, Debbie let them to flow freely, she cried like she had wanted to for that entire time but she hadn’t allowed herself to show weakness in front of those people, still, she continued to talk.

“Look at me, Tammy! I’m fine, perfectly fine, from head to toe. Not a single cut or scratch in me. Do you know why? Because those fuckers… they got in my head, Tammy,” finally Debbie lowered her head and stayed still in one place of the room, “do you know what they told me? They said they’d get each and every one of you, each and every one, Tammy. They got the watch from Constance but I had no way of knowing exactly how they got it… They took me to Lou’s place, it was trashed, she wasn’t there, there was some blood… Just like your house, Tammy. They had pictures of your house! Amita’s apartment. Nine Ball’s place. It was all them! They showed me pictures proving they had broken into these places and they never let me know anything, fucking anything about any of you! They let my own imagination eat me alive. In the end, they showed me a picture of Daphne, Daphne gagged and restrained! They said they were waiting for Rose, that they might let me see her… I waited all night… Fuck. In the morning, we weren’t stopping, there was something wrong, I knew that. And then I saw you, I saw you, Tammy, and I…”

That was it. Tammy had flown from the bed and embraced Debbie in her arms, tighter than ever before. She didn’t need to hear another word. All they both needed in that second was that embrace, that warmth, that familiarity. It might not have been the time of place for them to discuss any other difficult subjects. But both of them could still feel the barrier that stood between them. It was in the way Debbie had said friend and the way Tammy kissed her temple or forehead, never too close to the lips. They could feel that wall, but they could also feel it crumbling down, with every look they shared, with every once of vulnerability they showed, with the tremendous trust they had and with every second of that perfect embrace they shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it!  
> please leave your comments :)


	13. Also, I missed you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debbie is finally about to see the consequences of her disappearance. There's a lot she needs to deal with, some harder than others. Particularly, talking with Tammy and Lou is proving to be more difficult than she ever imagined.

The night came and went more smoothly once the tears stopped and their dinner arrived, but Debbie and Tammy still moved awkwardly around the abyss that separated them. _“I’m dying to kiss you but I’m scared you don’t want that”_ and _“I need you to kiss me but I never knew how to ask”_ remained unsaid. When morning arrived both of them got ready to go back to Lou’s place, back to their friends, back to their little family.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Tammy asked her – _again._

“I’m sure Tam-Tam,” Debbie replied – _again._ “I just… probably won’t be able to answer all their questions at once.”

“It’s fine. I’ll let them know the basics,” Tammy smiled kindly, “they really just want to see you and know that you’re alright.”

“Well, I just want to see them and know that they’re alright.”

Debbie’s confident smile made an appearance and awoke timid butterflies on Tammy’s stomach, butterflies that she found herself obliged to quiet down for one more question…

“What about…”

“I’m ready, Tammy.”

No matter how much Debbie and Tammy each loved Lou, they still hadn’t learn how to talk about her between the two of them. In general, the three of them hadn’t learn about talking of a lot of things.

At the door of the hotel room that became Debbie’s safe haven for the past twenty-four hours, Tammy came to her to fuss with Debbie’s coat, trying to make sure she was properly wrapped up.

“Hey, I’m fine,” Debbie interrupted her friend by catching her hands, stilling them when they were fixing the collar of her shirt. “Thank you.”

“I’m not used to you saying _‘thank you’_ so much.”

Tammy laughed faintly as she stared at her wrists, at the point where Debbie’s hand still held her. When those hands left her, Tammy felt their absence even in the depth of her heart, but when Debbie placed her hand on Tammy’s waist to pull her just a little bit closer, suddenly it felt like some vast piece in the universe had finally fit perfectly where it was meant to be.

“ _Debbie,_ ” Tammy whispered, urging her to look her in the eyes.

But Debbie couldn’t do it. She knew she couldn’t. Debbie could con almost anyone in the world, she could earn her freedom from jail with a simple act, but she could never trick _Tammy_. The second Tammy looked her in the eyes she would figure out everything, even things that not even Debbie was ready to understand.

Tammy’s hands moved to Debbie’s shoulders and she held her there, she applied pressure hoping to send all her emotions in the gesture. Through the fabric of her clothes, Debbie could feel the tips of Tammy’s fingers pressing down on her shoulders, but still she didn’t find the strength to look up.

“I’m going to…” Debbie started to say, “I’m going to…” the tender touch of tammy’s forehead against her was as welcomed as it was distracting.

In the end, Debbie couldn’t find the words and she had to force herself to step back, away from Tammy and frustrated with herself she ran her hands through her hair.

“ _Fuck!_ I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

Tammy sighed, she had expecting something like that, really. Her arms crossed defensively at her chest and although she tried to sound careless, she couldn’t hide the hurt in her voice. Of course Debbie was going back to Lou, of course there was still no place for Tammy in there.

“It’s fine, Debs, let’s just go.”

Still overwhelmingly frustrated with herself, Debbie moved towards the door and hastily yanked it open, but the she froze and place and with her back turned to Tammy she found at the very least a trace of the words she needed to say.

“Just – please don’t leave. _Please_ don’t go again. I’ll figure it out,” Debbie said, the strain on her voice made it seem like she was begging for her life. Running on the momentum, Debbie walked out of the room without looking back, but she repeated. “I’ll figure it out!”

 

The entire drive back to Lou’s house was uncomfortably tense. Debbie was realizing she would be happy not to get in another car for a few days at least. And Tammy couldn’t help but feel everything Debbie was feeling. She had known Debbie for most of their lives, she had loved her for almost as long, as a friend, as a lover, as something they never could quite name, but she loved her immensely, nonetheless. And seeing her broken and hurt, it was the worst thing Tammy could have imagined. When they finally made it to their destination though, Debbie didn’t seem in a hurry to get out of the vehicle.

“Are you okay?” Tammy dared asking one last time, “Do you want to review the plan?”

“I go in,” Debbie started with a sigh, embarrassed of needing help with such simple task, but she still felt exhausted and weakened by the horrors of the past days, “I greet them all, hug everybody, make sure we are all okay, answer basic questions, ask about them, then politely retire to… my room.”

Both of them gulped nervously, and then stared at each other amusedly. Even with the daunting prospect of the conversations ahead, all the things they needed to figure out and the chance of someone walking away heartbroken, it was comforting that both were just as scared, just as worried. Even when they could be about to break each other’s hearts, there was a thread that united them that made it feel like even then they were on the same team, they were partners and they were together, even against each other.

After a deep breath, Debbie finally got the courage to get out of the car. Almost instantaneously, as if they were waiting only long enough to be polite, five women came running out of the building. They all ran straight towards Debbie and for a second her heart stopped. What if she started crying? She wouldn’t forgive herself. What if the hugs made her uncomfortable, terrified of everybody as she had spent the past days? It’d kill her to hurt or disappoint her team in any way. But before she could think any further, before her heart made a decision, the group crashed against her in an emotional avalanche and she was overjoyed to feel content in that state.

Debbie returned the hugs in equal strength, much more naturally than the previous day. And this time she actually took the time to look at her team up and down, hold their hands, look in their eyes, be there to see them breathing, all of them alive and well and not a single hair harmed after the chaos she had unwillingly dragged them into. Constance was there, all smiles and laughs and although she wasn’t carrying her watch, she had both her hands and all her natural cheerfulness. Amita and Nine Ball were also there, looking as good as always, not broken and destroyed like the places they had to run away from. Daphne was smiling as well, there wasn’t a single scratch on her to prove she had to be victim of the awful situation she had experienced. Rose was crying, but that was just part of who she was, and she was perfectly fine.

In the middle of it all, Debbie looked back at Tammy, who was happy leaning against her car, her arms crossed and a beautiful smile on her lips. Debbie still didn’t hear the story of how Tammy got that black eye, but it was pretty much fading by then.

“Nope, nothing broken, I swear,” Debbie was saying as the girls lead her inside.

Amita had been poking at her ribs, wondering for her physical health.

“Boss, are we taking any… payback?” Nine Ball asked with a smirk.

She received only a wink from Debbie, but that was perfectly good for the moment.

“It was just another little kidnapping episode, nothing out of the ordinary,” Debbie said in the casual voice in which she’d talk about prison and her time in solitary confinement, as if it was nothing, as if it was just another easy part of her plans. “Just – the usual – a little _‘go into the van and we won’t hurt you’_ , then some _‘stay quiet, we’ll let you go when we get what we want’_ and… if I’m being honest, girls, they did made a little too much emphasis on the _‘help us and we won’t hurt any of your friends’_ part of the deal… but, uh, I’d rather not get into that right now. I’ll go… rest, a little bit. And I’ll explain everything at dinner, alright? I also want to know how each of you made it into this crazy rescue mission.”

Debbie stood taller then. It was true, her small family was there, alive and well. Now, there was one thing left…

“She upstairs, in her room,” Amita answered Debbie’s unspoken question.

 

Debbie walked silently into Lou’s room. She locked the door behind her and walked around a little, she could hear movement in the bathroom, she would wait for Lou to come out. She stared around. There were empty bottles on the floor beside the bed. Packs of cigarettes, empty or maybe not, on the bedside table, one on the floor, one on the bed.

When the door of the bathroom opened and Lou came out, her hair still slightly wet after a shower, her clothes as unpractical as usual even when she was just staying at home, her expression was one of disbelief and she could only stare at the women in front of her – the woman she had been so terrified of losing forever. Debbie, on the other hand, was smiling brightly at Lou. Broken as she was, Debbie didn’t feel as if Lou healed her with just one look. What she felt was the hundreds and thousands of pieces of herself buzzing with an unnamed energy – Lou always made her feel delightfully alive, no matter the circumstances. And it had been more than magnetic, then, the way Debbie and Lou simultaneously rushed forward to reach one another, two souls meeting in a passionate kiss – just like the first time, unavoidable and delirious, nothing short of perfect.

The force of the kiss, all that it meant and the events that preceded, everything that had happened between their last kiss and that one, those were the things that finally pulled them apart and made them just embrace each other in the tightest hug they could manage.

“I heard you went on some vacations…” Lou said.

As casual as ever. Debbie had only been kidnapped. It was like casually getting out of prison. A normal Tuesday.

“Yup. Transportation was terrible, though,” Debbie replied, “also, _I missed you._ ”

They both squeezed each other tightly one more time before letting go. And even then, Debbie only pulled away a couple of inches, just enough to look into her favorite blue yes in the whole world. She could see fading bruises on Lou’s face. She had only disappeared for a couple of days and both of her girls had winded up with bruises. Debbie’s emotions threatened to overwhelm her once again, so she fully stepped back from the embrace.

Adding up the state of the room and the unusual taste she found on Lou’s lips, she commented, “You got new habits while I was gone?”

“Nothing I haven’t done before.”

Lou’s curt response came with a half-hearted shrug of her shoulders as she pushed aside a pack of cigarettes that was on the floor. That one was empty. The lighter on her pocket suddenly weighted her a ton.

“Are you okay?” Debbie asked.

“Debbie,” Lou answered with just her name, it was all she could do. She felt impossibly frustrated with herself. How come it was Debbie asking her if she was fine. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, love. I’m fine.”

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Tammy – the girls, they all probably planned a big dinner for you and…”

Lou started walking away but as she tried to pass beside Debbie, the brunette caught her arm and said, “We’ll talk, Lou. Okay?”

“ _Later._ When Tammy is here, probably. It’s okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was the ending of this chapter a little weird? i'm not sure.. but this seemed long enough and I have big plans for the next chapter so bear with me please  
> be prepared for the heist family having a cute family dinner and talking about everything, then some! more! angst!, something unexpected, and finally!!! some good and long awaited debbie x lou content  
> please leave comments because they make me so happy :)


	14. Like Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It feels great to have Debbie Ocean back with her team. They can share a nice dinner, they can share secrets, confessions, fears and plans. They can also get in a lot of trouble. Plus, Debbie and Lou finally get a chance to talk to each other, taking one step forward and two steps backwards it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know what,, there's a lot happening here....

“One day all of you will have your babies and I’ll have to be like the _Godfather_.” Debbie said.

She was contently leaning back on her chair at the head of the table. The entire group of women had just finished dinner - which Debbie adored more than ever - and were now discussing Amita’s pregnancy.

“Deborah Ocean,” Constance started with a dramatic voice, “unlawful godmother of the 21st century.”

That earned her a playful shove from Lou and some laughs around the table.

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, Amita, but you don’t look thrilled about the news.”

Debbie had finally said what they all had been thinking but couldn’t say. Amita had been looking down, maybe feeling down with herself, maybe thoughtfully staring at her stomach. After Debbie addressed her she looked up slowly, looked around the group with fear in her eyes and attempted to explain herself.

“How can I? You do understand the whole _‘father’_ situation, right?”

“ _Please_ ,” Lou scoffed, “as if you needed a man, Amita. You got this.”

Among similar supportive comments, Rose’s words stood out, “Plus, the little kid will have… eight, uh, seven aunts!”

That had Amita almost in tears. And one teardrop did escape her eyes after Debbie reached out a hand to cover hers and give her a reassuring squeeze, saying “Whatever you decide, Amita, _anything_ , you’ll have all us there beside you, alright? You have me.”

“Also, don’t feel so bad about it,” Nine Ball intervineed, “it could be worse. You could be Constance, who got robbed by her first girlfriend.”

The hacker’s chuckle was met with a napkin thrown right at her head by Constance.

“Right. Weren’t you planning on telling me about it?” Debbie inquired.

“No. Not really.”

After replying, Constance crossed her arms and frowned. It half playful but it carried some meaning with it. As expected, the most caring and tender figure of the group had to step up.

“Come on Constance, it’s okay. We talk things out, like family.” Tammy softly told her with a reassuring smile.

That seemed to break down at least one of the walls of the youngest member of the group. Debbie took the chance to invite her to share some more, testing just how comfortable Constance was with the whole discussion.

“Do you want to see her again?” she asked.

“ _She robbed me!_ ” Constance complained.

“Oh you would have done the same thing just a few weeks ago” Lou laughed, “wouldn’t you?”

There wasn’t malice in her voice. In fact, that fond and light-hearted approach was welcomed by Constance. One more emotional barrier torn down. But she still looked gravely conflicted.

“Come on, Constance, not even I reacted so dramatically when I found out I was gay - and I’m bisexual!” Daphne exclaimed.

“I just - there’s so much to consider… shouldn’t this have happened years ago? I feel too old to be, you know, questioning all of this. It’s overwhelming, like each question just makes me think about five new problems and… I don’t know, I can’t find a conclusion.”

“May I say something?” Rose said suddenly.

She looked at Constance with concern and then at Debbie as if for approval, Debbie raised her glass at her and Rose got on with what she had to say.

“Right, well, you’re not too old, first of all. You’re a baby! I know it all feels crazy, and, uh, weird and all kinds of things. But, see, as an adult, you have all the time in the world to figure things out. And you don’t even need any answers! You can question everything, you can live one day at a time, you don’t need labels, you need to just, uh, be yourself, right? Some days you’ll look in the mirror and you’ll want to change everything. You’ll look at some people and you’ll feel nothing. You’ll look at others and… you’ll feel… _everything_.”

By then, Constance was already smiling, standing with her head held a little higher. She had taken all she needed form Rose’s speech, which was a good thing, because everybody could sense she was starting to talk about something other than Constance's issues.

“You’ll fall in love, I’m sure. You’ll meet somebody who will leave you speechless with her beauty, and her grace, and her light, somebody who will turn your world upside down. But then she just might be the one person in the world who wants to hear you, who understands you, and who makes you feel like this life, this world is all really… worth it… right?”

For all that second part of her speech, Rose had been staring intently at Daphne. The younger woman alternated between meeting Rose’s intense gaze and looking away in defeat. For single last word of the speech, Rose had suddenly looked around the table nervously as she usually did, fearing she had said something disastrous. But everybody was looking at her with immense affection in their eyes, rooting for her. The moment was delicate and before it neared the uncomfortable, Nine Ball mercifully spoke up again.

“Hey, Ocean,” she called out to Debbie, “since you’ve adopted the Godfather figure, are we taking back my place?”

There was something mischievous in the lift of Nine Ball’s eyebrows and it excited Debbie beyond words. She was seriously hoping her whole team would be up for a few more adventures because, “ _Obviously_ ,” she answered.

A beat of silence happened as everybody took a sip of their drink or refilled their glasses, but then Tammy abruptly slammed her hands on the table-

“Lou! Your arm! Where’s you cast?!”

The woman in question could only laugh loudly at Tammy’s late reaction, considering she hadn’t been using the cast the entire evening. And the rest of the group laughed as well, leaving Tammy entirely dumbfounded.

“It’s gone,” Lou merely shrugged.

“But, but your arm is _broken_!”

“Not so much. It wasn’t that broken, I think.”

“You _think?!_ ”

“Calm down, please. I know what I’m doing, remember?” Lou’s confident smirk was an allusion to her years studying medicine. She truthfully knew what she was doing.

“So I’m guessing you didn’t visit a doctor or anything…”

Lou visibly shuddered to the suggestion, though it was humorous. “It’s okay, love, I had a fine team of nurses with me.”

With that, Lou raised her glass to the table and a group of five women looked proudly at Lou or apologetically at Tammy. It seemed that Lou had deemed herself healed and done with the cast on her arm. Tammy would have complained some more, for the sake of Lou’s wellbeing, but the woman looked so much like herself, free and confident and unrestrained. Tammy’s heart filled with the usually adoration of each time she stared at Lou, and she let her complains pass.

 

Debbie was still smiling when she proceeded to look around the table. They had given their support to Amita and Constance, Rose had opened up her heart and Nine Ball now had a promise of something like revenge. But there were two other women there, Lou and Tammy, who so clearly were avoiding Debbie’s eyes that it was almost painful. Debbie couldn’t blame them, all that they had to handle, that couldn’t be even summarized that night.

The great dinner to welcome back Debbie officially ended shortly after. All the girls started to help clean things up, lead by Tammy. On the other hand, Lou, with the excuse that it was technically her house and they needed to pay her back somehow, retreated to her room without finishing any cleaning duties. That left Debbie at a crossroads. But she considered she had already spent a full night with Tammy, and they had talked - somewhat. At least, they had agreed - Debbie had basically begged, for time. Just time and patience and Tammy’s presence. And since Tammy hadn’t denied it, with that guarantee Debbie felt at a safe spot with her. Now, her priority was making sure that she’d find the same stability with Lou. Only then could they attempt to move forward together. So, Debbie followed Lou to her bedroom.

Once in there, Debbie was acknowledged by a nod from Lou and she gave her a calm smile in exchange. While Debbie sat down in the messy bed, Lou continued to pace the length of the room.

“You look anxious,” Debbie commented.

“Of course I’m fucking anxious, Debs,” Lou told her, “Something feels wrong.”

“Lou,” Debbie called her name with an unusual softness they reserved for moments like these, “we’re fine. Everything will be fine.”

Those words didn’t do much for Lou, but Debbie’s presence, Debbie’s reassuring tone, that, at least, made her stop in her tracks, although her entire body was still tense and she couldn’t seem to slow down her heart beat.

“Come here,” Lou finally broke the silence.

She received Debbie in her arms and embraced her in a protective way, but it was more to comfort herself than the other woman. Lou needed to feel her close, to feel her arms surrounding Debbie as if nothing could get past them, nothing could hurt the woman she loved and _nothing_ in the world could ever take her away.

“I need - I think -” Lou sighed, “Do you think you could tell me everything that happened?”

Debbie couldn’t answer immediately, she had to take her time, to gather the strength. In the meantime, Lou continued to hold her, to rock them back and forth until Debbie pulled back slightly, “I will tell you everything,” she said.

One more time couldn’t hurt, Debbie thought. In fact, as she let the words slip past her lips, Debbie realized she might have needed it. When she shared the full story with Tammy, it had been raw and painful and it exposed tender parts of her soul, leaving a sour taste in her mouth and a desperate need for revenge. Sharing the exact same details with Lou was just as honest but less frantic. Debbie now had a better understanding of the bigger picture and of everything that had happened to her team on the time she had been away. Lou’s inherent electricity when she was beside Debbie made her focus a little better this time. Her idea of revenge dimmed into something more plausible but also exciting. Besides, the sight of Tammy crying could easily make Debbie spill some tears, but Lou’s stubborn strength made Debbie feel braver and stronger.

“... and then I got my watch, got out of the car and there are see all of you. I was… God, it felt like getting a second chance at life.”

Debbie finished her story with a sigh. At that point both of them had sit down on the edge of Lou’s bed. The latter smiled at Debbie and leaned down to kiss her temple. But after that, she remained silent and leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees.

“You’re not going to say anything?” Debbie asked her lightheartedly, but half of her was seriously concerned.

As Debbie placed a soft hand on Lou’s back, the blonde woman opened her mouth to speak, but _“I would have died without you”_ got stuck in her throat.

“Can I ask why you left with Tammy?” she asked instead, “just Tammy?”

“Baby… it’s - complicated. She was the first thing I saw when I was free of that damned car. My brain just locked onto her. I’ve know Tammy for so long… she feels like a part of me. I needed to hold on to an untouched part of me. Tammy has known me before I became myself, before I was somebody, and maybe that was the time when I was the most genuine me I ever was. That day you guys found me, I was broken, don’t ask too much of me.”

“ _Broken_ \- babe, I have been broken since before you met me,” Lou sighed.

“It’s been a journey, though, a process” Debbie told her. “But you’ve gotten better. All of that is in the past, Lou.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know. There’s a lot that you weren’t here to see,” Lou confessed, suddenly the knot on her throat felt like it was about to transcend the imaginary and materialize around her neck, she struggled to swallow. “You know what? I don’t blame you for choosing Tammy. Can’t say I wouldn’t have.”

“ _Lou…_ ”

Debbie spoke her name and it was part of a scold, part of a question and part of a plea. Abruptly, Lou stood up from the bed. Her stance was proud and confident, her chin up, her hands casually on her pockets, so much like Lou, as if she were about to explain a part of their plan for a heist. But there was an unnameable shadow clouding her presence. It was dark and worrying, unlike anything Debbie had ever seen in Lou.

“Do you ever think about the fact I basically just stormed into your relationship? That maybe I should have left you and Tammy alone? You guys were doing just fine and I’m just added baggage that makes your problems harder to solve…”

“Stop right there!” Debbie spoke perhaps more forcefully than she intended, “You are the best thing that has happened in my life. I have been yours since the very first day. And I’m not going to let you question the love I feel for you. As much as you’ve wanted me, I’ve wanted you twice as much, always.”

“But you did left me once, didn’t you Debbie? You let Tammy go and then you left me, and even after jail you’ve made the same mistakes! You don’t even know what happened when you weren’t here! How much do you really want us, Debbie? How far are you willing to go for us? Both of us. Because I think it’s about time that we acknowledge that this is a conversation for three…”

Although speechless for a second and with her brain filled up to the brim with a million scenarios for what Lou meant with each and every word, Debbie didn’t back down, she didn’t break, and still staring at Lou in the eyes, she said “I would go to the end of the world and beyond for both of you.”

Although Debbie’s words ended up coming out quieter and quieter, as soon as she was finished, the last words were almost drowned out by the sudden clamort outside the bedroom door. Glass breaking, doors kicked open, demanding shouts and terrified screams filled the night air with abrupt terror.

 

Not missing a single beat, Debbie and Lou rushed out of the door. “What the fuck?!” Debbie shouted as soon as she looked out from the second floor to the mess underneath her, a man struggling to keep ahold of Daphne, Tammy already with the upper hand fighting a man on the ground, one more man stepping menacingly over Constance body on the ground and towards Nine Ball who was courageously standing in front of Amita who was frighteningly holding her belly where life was growing, a fourth man was standing at a distance pointing a gun in all directions and seemingly more confused than anybody else.

In the time that it took Debbie to take a look at it all, Lou was already halfway down the stairs. And she didn't stop running until she crashed with all her body strength and pushed down the man threatening Amita and Nine Ball, who immediately after threw herself down to the floor to help Constance who had endured a terrible kick to her stomach.

Tammy was finally done with the first man that lay half unconscious on the floor. She stood up and stared directly at Daphne’s frightened eyes. The man that had his arms wrapped around her had pulled out a knife, they continued to struggle and he was moving to put the knife against her throat to keep her still and captive to get everyone’s attention. But his arm hadn’t made half of the trajectory when a kitchen pan was slammed furiously on his head. He immediately started to fall down, and he would have taken Daphne with him, had Rose not thrown away the improvised weapon and taken her girlfriend in her arms.

For a second then, everybody stood still in a tense climax of the action. Rose with her weeping girlfriend in her lap and a kitchen tool and an unconscious man beside them. Tammy paralyzed as well, a barely conscious man with a bloody nose at her feet. And a few feet away were Lou, who had neutralized another man and Amita who had her feet deliberately planted on the man’s throat with the precise amount of pressure to keep him there. Finally, Constance was now standing, clutching her stomach and leaning most of her weight against Nine Ball. There was only one last man standing, he was still pointing the gun at the group, but his arm was shaking uncontrollably in fear. He opened his mouth for a lame last attempt to threaten them, but it was another voice the one that broke through the anxious space.

“ _Hey!_ ” Debbie shouted.

As soon as the man turned around to stare at her, standing heroically at the top of the stairs, Debbie didn’t hesitate half a second to fire the gun she held in her right hand.

The man was still gasping for air as he realized that the thing that reached his forehead was a harmless dart that stuck there, wobbling mockingly, a piece of paper attached to it.

“Your goddamned check is in there. All the money. You can consider my brother’s debt paid. And you can consider all of you dead if you dare come near me or my team ever again,” finishing her words, Debbie had reached the end of the stairs and thrown to the ground the fake gun, but she pulled a different one from the back of her pants, “This one is _very_ real,” she said, aiming at the man.

That one man left the place running and without looking back. The girls stepped back to let the two beaten down men get up and strain to drag their unconscious partner out and away of the place. They had been gone for a couple of seconds, and still the eight women remained mostly still. They could very nearly read each other’s minds, for they were all thinking, among other things, one thought in common - those men would leave Debbie alone, but now very soon they were going to wish she would leave them alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isn't it fun to spend most of the weekend just writting fanfiction?  
> I uh really spent more time writing than I should have ... this is I think the longest chapter I've written! There was a lot a lot happening I think and I reallyy hope you all liked it! Since it was so long and I avoided my other responsabilities enough, it might be a few days before I update again. In the meantime, you guys should check out my other fic, One Of My Girls, if you ahven't already because it has all the fluff that this one hasn't. And if you've watched The Haunting of Hill House and love Theo as much as I do... I have a few one shot and a brand new fic. And as always you can come talk to me on tumblr @ afterlaughy any time!  
> Uh that's it! Please leave comments and let me know what you think :)


	15. Terrible at Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the attack to Lou's place is over, Debbie has no time to lose, she has to take back control of everything. The group splits in three and in one way or another, they start solving their problems... will it be so easy as to fix everything talking to each other?

When the spell of the action finally broke and the adrenaline subsided in most of the team, Debbie’s mind was still running a mile a minute. She looked around to evaluate the situation.

“Lou, Tammy, are you okay?” she asked, addressing them first not just because they were always her greatest worry, but because they were also her greatest strength, she’d need them to solve this all. Upon receiving affirmative responses she started delivering instructions. “Great, then Tammy help Rose with Daphne, she probably needs some tea, she looks pale. Lou take Nine Ball with you and fucking do something about the security of this place… Amita, you’re helping me with this.”

“With what?” the pregnant woman asked, just in time for Constant to crash against Debbie in a big hug that made the younger one cry out for the ache in her ribs. “Oh, _that_.”

“Lets’ go!” Debbie ordered, and she was obeyed without any complaints, all the women got on with their duties.

 

After helping Rose taking Daphne to the kitchen and into a chair, Tammy started preparing tea for the distressed celebrity. _What a strange sight_ , Tammy thought, the great Daphne Kluger slumped in a chair of a mismatched set in the house of an absolute criminal. Most interesting of all, was the fact that, Tammy had the suspicion, Daphne’s greatest issue at the moment wasn’t being attacked by a man in a ski masks that attempted to pull a knife to her throat. The real problem was surrounding the other woman in that kitchen, the fashion designer of the broken heart and the silent tears falling down her cheeks.

“Here you go,” Tammy said softly, passing a cup of tea to Daphne. “This will calm you down a little.”

“Thank you, Tammy.”

Afterwards, silence. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement. When she turned towards Rose, Tammy saw that the woman was still crying silently, her heart broke at the sight. Rose was unharmed but the events they all had just experienced had clearly affected her, she cried so easily.

“Rose, do you… would you… I think - you know what? I’ll get you a cup of tea as well.”

While Tammy worked on that and the kitchen filled with relative silence again, Daphne spoke up again, “Rose,” she said, “Thank you for what you did. I think you saved my life.”

Tammy thought that there was no way that inexperienced man would have dared kill anybody, but perhaps it would be inopportune to make that comment out loud.

“Oh? You’re welcome, you’re welcome darling,” Rose answered, her head snapped up nervously at hearing the term of endearment slip past her lips involuntarily, but might as well get it all out. “You know I’d do it a thousand times…”

“Me too.”

Regardless of the true meaning of her response, Daphne’s tone remained cold and distant, it pierced the air of the kitchen and made all three women feel chills on their skin.

“Darling, do you hate me?” Rose asked.

“I could never hate you, Rose. I’m just… I can’t believe what you did, Rose. To me, to _us_ …”

Now, Tammy knew she wasn’t exactly in a place to give out relationship advice, but she loved her friends and she could try her best to make sure they solved their problem if that would make them happy.

“Hey, why don’t you tell me what happened? I’m a great listener,” she said with a kind smile as she sat down as well. Daphne looked at Rose and took a deep breath before starting the story.

“I… Rose is amazing, we know that. I’ve been attracted to her since the day we met. I started to like her as we worked together for the Met Ball. I liked her more and more each day, in a way that was unlike anything I had experienced so far. By the time I realized my feeling were a bit more than platonic the ball was over and I figured out it was all a con… We got past that, though. We moved on, we became friends, we became more than friends. It was natural, beautiful, _perfect_. I couldn’t have imagined anything, anyone better than Rose for me. To understand me, to love me, to complete me.” Daphne sighed, reaching the peak of their problems. “So, what do you do when you find someone like that? You propose! Naturally. And you hope they say yes and you’ll get married and it’ll be perfect, you’ll have a nice little family together and love and cherish each other until the end of time!”

“I’m going to get a cup of tea for myself, excuse me,” Tammy nervously got up again.

Well, that was a lot. And now it was Rose’s turn, it seemed. She had wiped away her tears and sat down at the table as well.

“Daphne, you know how much I love you right? You can’t doubt that. You know I love more than anything right?”

“I do.”

“Then you need to understand that I said no, I cannot marry you, because I love you…”

“That just doesn’t make sense!”

“ _I know!_ But I just can’t! I’m too old for fairy tales, my love. I’m a disaster, I can’t be a mother. I’m afraid I’m not what you want, not really.”

“Don’t be afraid, Rose,” Tammy intervened, taking them by surprise. “The world will find a million ways to stand in the way of real love. You can’t allow yourself to be one of the obstacles. Certainly, you can’t allow fear to keep you from loving who you want to love. Maybe even more importantly, you can’t let fear keep you from letting yourself be loved.”

By the time Tammy found the courage to look up from the wave of words that had escaped her, Daphne and Rose were tenderly holding hands on the table. Rose seemed on the verge of starting to cry again, but Daphne had a suspiciously mischievous look in her eyes.

“Tammy, is there something you’d like to talk about?” she said.

Looks like Tammy had inadvertently opened up her heart a little more than she had intended, baring a previously hidden part of herself in the process. It was impossible to determine when she stopped talking about her friends and started talking to herself.

 

Maybe Debbie had been expecting Lou and Nine Ball to run to a store of some sorts to get their job done. When in reality what happened was that the pair went out of the building and immediately sat down next to each other, making calls and buying things online. At first they worked almost in complete silence. Their only conversation was to discuss some methods, ask certain questions and for opinions here and there. Nine Ball knew what she was doing, Lou had the right contacts and well, they had more than a few millions of dollars.

“All done,” Lou said to Nine Ball after finishing a call. “They’ll set up everything tonight, apparently that’s how they work. Cameras, sensors, everything.”

“Right, and since we know Debbie probably won’t want any strangers too close to us, everything will be automatic. The building, surroundings, whole street… I got it.” Nine Ball replied, lifting her laptop as if to prove her point.

“Great. We’re done, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Done.”

“You _really_ don’t want to go back, huh?” Nine Ball laughed way too amused for Lou’s liking.

“I’m terrified!” Lou confessed in a burst of frustration. “As soon as we get a second of peace and quiet they’ll want to talk, and we’re terrible at talking. If we start talking we’ll try to solve things, and we are terrible at solving things. If we start trying to solve things we’ll end up fighting and…”

“Let me guess…”

“We are great at fighting.”

Nine Ball couldn’t really help but laugh at that. She closed her laptop, though. This wasn’t exactly in her comfort zone but she could try. 

“Has anybody told you you think too much?” she asked, Lou scoffed at that.

“Out of the three of us, I might be the one who thinks the less, so go figure the layers and layers of our problems… Just consider that _Debbie_ is involved.”

“Complicated?”

“Complicated.”

“Hey, you’re not asking for my opinion but I’m going to give it to you anyway,” Nine Ball stated. “You don’t have to tackle all those problems at once, you know? Address the important facts, I don’t know, love, or something. If your love can’t solve those problems, nothing will. Trust me.”

“What do you mean?” Lou asked, although she did understand, she could feel Nine Ball was holding something back.

“Look, I haven’t known Debbie for long. But my little sister, Veronica, reminds me a bit of her. You know, always working, always doing shit, getting in trouble, but like in a smart way, her brain just…” Nine Ball gestured to an explosion around her head to emphasize her point. “But she’s a kid you know? She had her problems. And she always tried to shut me out and solve shit by herself. So, I couldn’t get in her head and fix everything. But I could be there for her, love her, remind her of the stuff that mattered, everything that we’d have whether we solved our problems or not.”

Those words genuinely touched Lou’s heart, and she felt speechless, except for a single sentence that she just knew she had to get out.

“You’re a good sister, Nine Ball.”

“Yeah. But now I’m alone.”

“But you’re not.”

That was it. That was all Lou had to say. The meaning of her words was crystal clear. It was Nine Ball’s turn to feel uncomfortably emotional. In response, she did a quick job and a couple of seconds later she was contently smoking.

“You know, you could always get them one of these so they loosen up,” she laughed as she blew up the smoke. “I know I’d love to see Tammy…”

“Okay, _enough_.” Lou declared sternly.

 

“I thought Lou was the doctor,” Amita said.

“Technically. But all have to know a little of this,” Debbie explained. “I think nothing’s broken, kid. Just a bad hit. You’ve got your medicine and Lou will probably come back up later to check on you. You’ll be fine, now rest.”

As she talked, Debbie got up from Constance’s bed and she looked like she was getting ready to leave the room when Constance addressed her.

“Debbie? We missed you, you know?”

“We really did.”

Constance and Amita’s words, plus their kind smiles made it impossible for her to hold back a grin of her own.

“Are Lou and Tammy really that bad at leading the team?”

“No!” Constance exclaimed. “They’re awesome. It’s just…”

“Debbie, you know they can barely function without you.” Amita, as knowing long-time friend of them, explained.

Debbie sat back down and sighed, “I feel like we barely function when we are too close together as well.”

“How is that even possible?” Constance wondered, “You’re literally the perfect team.”

“Well, nothing is as perfect as it seems, I guess…”

“Don’t do that,” Amita interrupted her, “don’t ruin her expectations on love. She probably has enough with sad single mother over here.”

“ _You_ don’t do that!” Debbie replied. “You’re single because that coward excuse of a man doesn’t deserve you. You are a great woman, a brilliant part of my team and you’ll be an excellent mother. I’ll repeat it every day for you if I have to. That little boy or girl is going to be so lucky…”

“What if it’s not a boy _or_ a girl?” Constance asked.

“I’m guessing you don’t like labels very much, Constance.”

“I just…”

“I like that,” Debbie smiled proudly.

The younger one breathed easier then, the effect of Debbie’s words and of the painkillers she recently took.

“Your approval is all that matters, mom,” she smiled and made finger-guns gestures at Debbie.

The three of them enjoyed a moment of comfortable silence until Amita spoke up again.

“Debbie, we all want to see you happy.”

“I appreciate that, Amita,” Debbie sighed. “But _how_? How could I possibly fix everything?”

Presented with that question, Amita and Constance exchanged looks and then shrugged at Debbie, kind of defeated.

“Good thing this is not just you, right?” Amita commented, not knowing she had just hit a very, very important point.

“ _This is a conversation for three…_ ”

Debbie’s words came out of her as if she had just remembered something she heard in a dream. But it was something real, something very real that she had heard that same afternoon. She hadn’t solved anything, not at all. But a certain exciting feeling filled up her insides. For an instant, she felt as curious and hungry, as mighty and confident as she did during the first days when it was just her, Lou and Tammy. The force of the emotions pushed her out of her seat and without another word she left her friends behind and came out of the room.

From upstairs, Debbie looked down right on time to catch sight of Lou coming inside and Tammy coming out of the kitchen. The three of them stood still, petrified for a moment as they exchanged looks. They all wanted to talk, they all not wanted to talk. They wanted everything, they were scared of everything. Love and fear overpowered every other emotions and they were no longer sure on which one they were functioning. Either way, Tammy was the first to move, straight to the backdoor of the place. Lou followed her without hesitation. If Debbie hesitated, it was just because she was too focused on watching them move that she had forgotten to move herself. As soon she the door closed and she lost sight of them, her body sparked into action and she very nearly flew down the stairs, through the whole place and out the backdoor, ready for _anything_ , as long as she’d have her greatest loves there with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love the heist family,,  
> i hope you guys liked this chapter. i missed updating. the next chapter i think will be a lot of ot3, possibly some flashbacks.  
> let me know what you think! and please leave your comments because they make me so happy


	16. A Conversation For Three Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Finally, finally, finally, finally"
> 
> Tha word fills the minds of Debbie, Lou and Tammy. It's time to start talkiing, to break the ice they've been keeping for decades. A trip down memory lane wouldn't hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah Pt. 1 !!! this was seriously so long I just wanted to split it in two chapter  
> anyways this is just the start, the heavy stuff will come next. this includes cute little flashbacks of the start of their relationship. i wanted to write so many more flashback but that will have to happen later because seriously this conversation was too long!

Truthfully, Tammy had ran out of the place terrified. _Fear, fear, fear_. She couldn’t help it. She had no idea how to work her way around that one emotion, no matter what she had just said to her friends. Breathless and with her heart about to burst out of her chest, she stood just outside of Lou’s place, paralyzed, even as she heard the door close behind her, knowing it was Lou chasing her, she didn’t turn around, not yet.

Debbie had ran after the other two women. She had crossed the place as if her life depended on it, maybe it did, because her entire heart was on the other side of that door. But was she genuinely capable of fixing all her mistakes? Could she really pick life up with her hands and mold it so it fit around the three of them? Could she ever fit, really, in any place? Anxieties filled her up from head to toe with her hand placed still on the doorknob. The seconds dragged on and on. Eventually, Debbie lifted her hand away, and slowly turned around, defeated by her own fear.

She was taken by surprise, though, when she turned around just to find five women incredulously staring at her. Daphne and Rose holding hands from their place at the kitchen, Amita and even Constance from upstairs, and Nine Ball near the front door. This was a lot like being caught during a heist, Debbie guessed.

“ _Debbie!_ ” they all shouted at unison, scolding her.

Scared for a whole new different reason, Debbie rushed out the backdoor without any other word.

When she was outside, she let out a deep sigh, then she finally looked up. The sight that welcomed her was more glorious than heaven, or perhaps it was exactly her personal definition of paradise.

Lou and Tammy were kissing, kissing each other like there was no tomorrow. Lou was holding Tammy impossibly tight against her and it took them one more second for their brains to register the sound of the door closing and Debbie’s sigh. They immediately pulled away from each other. Hesitation clouded their faces, but in the end they seemed to decide to stay close to one another. Fear was present in their eyes, that was for sure. But there was also a kind of determination, passion, a defiance that wasn’t going anywhere, and that wasn't there before, years before.

Those emotions mingled confused Debbie for an instant, while the silence reigned around them. Then she understood, love involved both emotions, both set of feelings. It was unavoidable that love would scared them to death, for they now had something too precious to lose. It also took courage to love each other, they had something to fight for. They all had each other. They all had a lot of fear. Now it was time that they proved just how brave they were. It was time for them to find out if it really was love, and if it was, just how powerful it could be.

“I waited so many years…”

Debbie’s whispered admission lifted a veil around them. She had just opened the door to that mythical space where they loved each other openly and passionately. Acknowledging the mere fact that there was something beautiful and intangible between the three of them was the first step. The second step for Debbie was struggling to keep her balance once Lou and Tammy both threw their arms around her - the three of them in that hug feeling whole after so many years.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Lou kept an arm around Debbie. Then she stroked the brunette’s hair lovingly, pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Lou placed a delicate kiss on Debbie’s forehead, both of them closing their eyes for the time the contact lasted.

“Are we going to talk, Debbie?” she asked.

Debbie couldn’t find the words to answer her, though. She stared into the sea of those blue eyes and got lost. The thing that woke her up was Lou’s nod of her head towards their right. Debbie’s eyes quickly moved in that direction, catching sight of Tammy. For an instant, Debbie felt nervous again, then, a hint of amusement sparked inside her. She was confident about how well she knew Lou and Tammy, after so many years, she thought she could read Tammy like a book. And what she noticed in Tammy’s wide eyes, the way she was nervously biting her lip, and how her fingers were twitching at her sides… that was desire.

Caught staring at the love of her life, Tammy blushed and stuttered out, “Should we go take a walk?”

“Tammy…” Debbie called out to her.

“A walk! I’m walking. Let’s…"

Tammy was interrupted by Debbie’s finger reaching out to her, wrapping around her wrist, the simple touch taking her breath away.

“Tammy _please_ ,” she whispered, “please, please, Tammy… look at me?”

Her body, Tammy felt, had turned to stone. “I don’t think I can, Debbie,” she said, “We might not be ready.”

Debbie wouldn’t give up, though. She got closer to Tammy, her fingers moved down and slipped through Tammy’s fingers, tenderly intertwining their hands.

“Tammy, I’ve missed you so much, so much. You’ve always been my favorite part of me… I need you,” Debbie said, finally getting Tammy to turn around and look at her before she continued, “I lost you, both of you, I know. It’s my fault and I’m sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you how sorry I am. I just… give one more chance, one last chance. Just for today. If I can’t make you forgive me on this moment we have, you can walk away from here, away from me and never look back and I’ll…”

“But I never wanted to do that…”

Tammy’s words, on the verge of tears, came as a revelation for herself. She yerked her hand out of Debbie’s grasp, but then she stood frozen for an instant. Finally, she made her decision. Both of her hands moved towards Debbie’s shoulders, and before any other second passed, Tammy leaned in and kissed Debbie. She kissed her timidly, like the very first time so many years ago.

When she pulled away, it was simply to say to say her name , “ _Debbie_ ,” she whispered with the conviction of a prayer. Her hands forcibly squeezed Debbie’s shoulders, trying to empty all her emotions with the action. When she still felt overwhelmed, and she was worried her fingers would bruise Debbie’s skin, she resolved on kissing her again. This time she threw delicacy to the wind. She kissed Debbie with all her passion, all the beautiful feelings she had for the brunette, and the ugly ones as well. She was hoping Debbie could taste in the kiss all the ways she had cursed her name over the years, as well all the tears she had cried for her.

When she pulled away, breathless, Tammy expected herself to feel empty of all the things she wanted to show Debbie. Instead, both of them were feeling their love for each other being reborn, stronger than any other time. After looking dazed for a second, Tammy finally smiled.

“God you’re really just _so_ pretty,” Debbie chuckled.

Tammy laughed at Debbie’s impromptu compliment, but she blushed nonetheless.

“Well that was a good start,” Lou called out to them, as she started walking away, “Let’s go.”

She held her hand out and Tammy excitedly rushed to take it. Then the three of them started walking without a destination in mind. They just knew they wouldn’t go back inside until they had discussed exactly what they had been waiting years for.

“So, why don’t you girls tell me what you did while I was, you know, in jail?”

Debbie’s question wasn’t well received. “No, thank you,” Lou answered with a cold edge to her voice.

“Uh, why don’t you start by telling us a little about life in prison?” Tammy intervened with force cheerfulness, “I’m sure you had fun.”

“Yeah, of course,” Debbie said somewhat suspiciously but relenting nonetheless, “I mean, I knew half of the women there, already, and some of the guards knew Danny or my father so…”

The trio laughed, and they continued to laugh along with Debbie’s anecdotes. She talked about how the reputation of the Oceans was both a blessing and a curse in jail, but she managed to come out unscathed so she wasn’t exactly complaining. Effectively, that managed to break the ice between them.

“Hey, that actually reminds me of one of the arrest that happened at my club…”

“ _One of them?_ As in that was common occurrence?” Tammy intervened.

“What matters is that it wasn’t me, right? Maybe you met her, Debbie…”

After discussing that situation, Debbie stared playfully at Tammy, “I heard that someone was also almost caught… “

“Oh no! I was not! Now we know they got help from these new bad guys. I know that those regular suburban dads couldn’t be so smart.”

“Good thing this little angel is so extremely violent and saved her own ass,” added Lou.

“I am _not_ extremely violent!” Tammy exclaimed outraged, though… “I’m just extremely good at self-defense.”

The group laughed joyfully at Tammy. “Yeah, and you've always been,” Lou said, rubbing her neck. Her words made the other two women smile, pleasantly caught by the memory of the time Tammy met Lou after Debbie brought her home after they met in Las Vegas.

_It's been a full week, Tammy thought, a full week without Debbie. What even had Dannie planned that he needed his entire team in Las Vegas for a week?! More importantly, why did he have to take Debbie away from her? Even more importantly! Why did Tammy had to stay home?!_

_She had been bored, anxious, a little bit lonely. Now she was looking forward to see Debbie's face when she shared all the small jobs she had pulled, enough to buy a pretty necklace for Debbie and a nice new sweater for herself. It would be great, Debbie usually gets worried about her and jealous about not being included, but she knew she'd be proud._

_Something strange happened though. Tammy was pacing their apartment, knowing Debbie was probably about to arrive. She stopped excitedly when she heard the lock on the door… but the door didn't open. It sounded again, as if somebody was trying to open it. Debbie had her key. No one else had a key to their place. The door stayed closed. Not another sound was heard… until the door opened to show a flash of blonde hair._

_It was only a flash, of course. Because before stranger completed a single step into the apartment, Tammy was already grabbing her arm, dragging her in, kicking her leg and immobilizing her in the floor._

_“Who are you?” Tammy demanded, her usually soft voice turning cold and measured._

_“I'm Lou! Argh!” the woman cried out, she was kneeling and her arms were painfully pulled behind her, plus there was knee pressed uncomfortably against her._

_“Where is Debbie?”_

_Tammy’s question was accentuated by the gentlest brush of the sharp edge of a blade against the starger’s neck._

_“Holy shit,” the unknown woman whispered._

_Just then, someone else stepped into the room._

_“Tammy!”_

_Debbie’s voice, as usual, ignited a rollercoaster of feelings inside Tammy. Like a switch had been turned, the younger woman relaxed and smiled. Then Tammy simply jumped out of the floor, letting the stranger fall, putting back her switchblade, and leaped at Debbie, who eagerly received her in her arms, lifting her off the floor._

_“Baby, I’ve missed you,” Debbie’s soft and low voice did nothing to capture how overjoyed she felt, “Ugh I swear I’m never stay away from you for so long ever again.”_

_It had only been a week._

_Debbie’s words made Tammy giggle. Finally, they pulled apart just enough to kiss each other as if they had been separated for years and years. When the kiss was over, they only stared at each other, Tammy with a bright grin on her face, Debbie with absolute adoration in her eyes, plus a smirk that she couldn’t just keep off her face. She kissed Tammy on the forehead lightly and then she fully stepped back._

_“Now, I see you’ve met my new friend.” Debbie said with a coy smile, “Tammy, I want you to meet Lou. Lou, this is Tammy, my girlfriend.”_

_In the split second it took Tammy to turn around and stare at Lou, she was already blushing furiously. It didn’t help that Lou was mostly likely the most gorgeous woman Tammy had ever had to kick down to the floor. And she remained on the floor, staring at them with thoughtful eyes and the ghost of a smile growing on her lips. Her blonde hair was messy in a way that made her look even more attractive. And her blue eyes… Tammy was convinced that if she had seen those eyes before maybe she’d have been the one falling on her knees._

_“Nice switchblade,” Lou commented with a nod of her head._

_“Oh! Thank you! It was a gift. Debbie’s gift,” Tammy said, smiling nervously, “I’m sorry, by the way. I promise to never get this thing near your neck ever again. Unless, of course, you’re trying to kill the love of my life or something…”_

_To kill the love of my life…_ The three of them had laughed back then. It would have been simply impossible for them to even imagine the situation where Tammy’s switchblade got close to Lou’s neck again. In fact, back then they had been more than clueless about the future they would share together.

But they continued to walk along the edge of the water.

“You did get hurt a few times because of us, didn’t you?” Debbie said.

Lou and Tammy exchanged a look. Debbie’s words, heard by any other person might have come out as a simple joke. But Lou and Tammy could see her discomfort, her guilt. Debbie was staring at the ground, her hands were buried deep in her pockets. Not being able to stand this version of Debbie, Lou moved to grab her arm, pull her close and whisper in her ear.

“I’d do it all again, _a thousand times._ ”

_For a couple of weeks, Lou lived in Debbie and Tammy’s couch like a stray puppy they had taken in. A tall, gorgeous, hypnotizing stray dog with a troubled past and an effortless way to get both women beyond flustered with just a look. Eventually, they moved into a bigger apartment, and Lou settled down with them and the thin line that divided their relationships. However, they soon enough discovered that Lou also had a tendency of being careless of her well-being and instead really passionate about risking her life for Debbie and Tammy, even when it was nearly unnecessary. Needless to say, they developed a routine of taking care of Lou’s wounds. She got in trouble even the simplest of jobs they pulled. Usually, it was Tammy’s designated duty, since she had the most delicate touch between them. Though they did notice that Lou was more than a little bit knowledgeable about all things of medicine._

_“Baby, you’re doing it wrong,” Lou complained as usual, as she rested her head on Tammy’s lap._

_“I’m doing it like you said!” Tammy protested as she tended to a cut on Lou’s eyebrow, “you could always go to a real doctor…”_

_“Never.” Lou stated harsly._

_Her roughness, however, was met with tenderness._

_“You are a dumbass,” Tammy whispered as she leaned in to kiss her forehead._

_The delicacy of it all had Lou feeling her heart flutter. She closed her eyes and relaxed, not opening them even after the front door opened and Debbie walked in._

_“Hello, how are my girl?s” she said, dropping her purse and coat in the living room_

_Debbie walked around the couch, place a quick kiss on Tammy’s lip and then moved towards the window._

_“Lou, get your ass over here.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“You heard me.”_

_That was strange, Lou thought to herself. Of all the different overdramatic variations of “can’t you see that I’m dying on your couch after trying to save your life?”, she realized that would be wasted seconds of a meaningless protest. She got up, regardless of her headache. She walked up to Debbie, filled with a sudden cold but exciting new fear that came with the realization that there weren’t many things in the world she would refuse to do if Debbie asked her._

_“Look over there,” Debbie said proudly, pointing at a bike parked on the other side of the street._

_“What's that?”_

_“I stole it,” Debbie replied even prouder, “It’s yours now.”_

_“What?”_

_This time Debbie didn’t reply. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Lou’s cheek. She lingered there for longer than it seemed appropriate for a friend. Her hand had slipped into Lou’s and she squeezed her hand in a manner that was intensely intimate. Debbie worked with gestures, not words. Lou was beginning to understand that. But Tammy already knew that. She was an expert at reading Debbie’s gestures, Debbie’s gestures that used to be exclusively aimed at her. She stared at the other two women from her spot on the couch. She was confused, but her eyes revealed the curiosity, the wonder, of the new turn in their lives._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh this part came out kind of... fluff  
> i hope you liked it!!  
> the second part is already done but who doesn't like a little bit of suspense???  
> so im going to start shamelessly asking you guys to leave comments and share this fic! thank you i love you Pt. 2 will come this weekend!


	17. A Conversation For Three Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Done with memories and wasted time, Debbie, Lou and Tammy finally have the conversation they had been waiting for.

“What?” Lou asked after a moment of silence, “Did we run out of happy stories to share?”

The trio had sat down on a low wall to talk and watch the sunset, but the temperature was dropping and they still didn’t discuss the most important matters.

“I mean, you came into our lives, we started working together, we fell in love…” Debbie said, “We know what happened next.”

She looked at Tammy then, remembering. “ _Leave me alone, Debbie, I don’t want to see you_ ,” and the hospital bed. “ _Don’t even say her name, I don’t want to know shit about her_ ,” and the sleepless nights. “ _It’s done, Debbie. It’s over. Please leave. I am not coming back_ ,” and their goodbye.

“No, no,” Tammy weakly protesting, “It’s not so simple. I mean, you never told me the details of how you two met, and when you two started… I mean, you know.”

Tammy’s words were difficult to process. Lou stared at Debbie, she was confused, close to connecting the dots but not quite.

“Tammy,” Lou said, testing the waters, hoping to be wrong, “You have no idea exactly how Debbie and I met?” she asked and received a negative nod of head from Tammy and absolute silence from Debbie. “And did you know Debbie never, ever, cheated on you?”

“What?!” Tammy's voice raised an octave, “What do you mean? Debbie, what happened then?”

“Debbie, why didn’t you never tell her? Why did you let her leave?”

The woman in question couldn’t, for the life of her, open her mouth to answer those questions.

“Let me leave? It’s not just her fault, you know? You abandoned me in that hospital! I could have died…”

“And I would have made everything worse!” Lou raising her voice, losing her control, which was a rarity that had Debbie holding her breath as she watched, “I couldn’t, Tammy, I swear…”

“I thought you didn’t care.”

“I - _Fuck!_ You are the one that doesn’t care! Each time you leave Debbie you never think of me! You never look back, never think twice, never consider me for a second.”

“And do you?!” Tammy was shouting freely as well, “Did you ever consider me, Lou? Because for as long as I remember you always took Debbie’s side! You stayed with Debbie! Again and again.”

At that point, Tammy had her arms wrapped around her body as if protecting herself from an invisible threat, Lou was clutching at her crumpled shirt, breathing heavily. Finally, finally, Debbie walked up to them and cleared her throat.

“Enough, that’s enough. Stop it, both of you,” she said, sounding exhausted beyond relief. “Let me… I’m just asking for one chance. Let me try to explain everything, clear everything up. I’m asking you both to listen to me, with open hearts, and don’t forget that I love you both, I love you so, so much.”

“We are a team, the three of us,” Debbie started. “We are in love, that’s undeniable. We knew the world wouldn’t be kind to us, life wouldn’t be easy. But instead of trying my best, to protect us and make it work, I’ve been sabotaging everything since the start. I’ve hurt myself and hurt both of you in the process and I’m so sorry. I made things harder for us and I’ll always regret it. So, this is the story, from beginning to end, the whole truth. Not whatever lies we’ve told each other, our friends and family. This is what we should have known and said since the start.”

Debbie’s voice, soothing as ever, calmed down Lou and Tammy. The three of them sat down near the water and listened to Debbie clear up the entire mess they had made of each other through the years.

“All those years ago, Tammy, when it was just the two of us, it was perfect. I mean, it wasn’t perfect but we were so in love with each other, right? I knew that we were perfect for each other, that you were too good for me, that you wanted more from me and that I couldn’t give that to you. That I would ruin everything sooner or later. But I needed you and I loved you. I thought that if I could get a distraction, if we pulled enough cons, you would stop thinking about a family and settling down, because I knew that I couldn’t just do that. It’s not in my blood.”

“The distraction, however, wasn’t at all what I had expected. This is how I met Lou. You know that I was in Las Vegas doing some job with Danny. Well, I was overseeing everything from the rooftop of our hotel, right? I was going in and out of there. But one night I went up there and I wasn’t alone. I thought there’d be trouble, we’d get caught, whatever. But instead I found Lou, standing on the very edge of the roof…”

In her mind, Debbie didn’t plan to pause after that statement, she didn’t want to make it more dramatic than it already was. Truth is, though, the knot on her throat won over her. In front of her, Lou was using all her strength to clear her mind off the dark memory. Meanwhile Tammy’s brain was struggling to catch up with the information she was receiving. She was starting to connect the dots, even parts of the story that Debbie didn’t know.

“It’s not my story to tell, Tammy, but I did lie to you. Lou didn’t left Australia because she hated medicine, it was a horrible tragedy. I found her, I kept her off the roof, gave her a job and brought her home with me… I’m so sorry I kept that from you.” Debbie confessed, then took a deep breath, knowing there was still a lot to come. “It was that tragedy what kept her from visiting you in the hospital. She was actually worried sick but she thought it was better for you if she wasn’t there. I didn’t have the guts to explain it. I knew you were going to break up with me. I thought I was making things easier.”

“Debbie Ocean, you are unbelievable,” Tammy whispered.

And Debbie could feel the disappointment, could feel Tammy’s love leaving her. She could also feel everything about to get worse.

“So, Lou, Tammy left because she had no idea of your side of the story. And it was me who kept that information from her. She left because while she was sick in the hospital I kept talking of our next job, the next heist, and she finally grew tired of my bullshit. We discussed the fact the I’d never be able to give her the life she wanted and I let her go, just like that, because I’m an idiot like that who also never explained the full story to you,” Debbie shuddered, and Lou looked like a deer caught in the headlights, “Then, of course, it became obvious that we needed Tammy, for love and for work. I needed to prove to my family that I… I needed to make Danny proud. I needed something. And you didn’t like the whole Claude Becker deal, did you?”

When she finished the sentence, Debbie smiled sadly. She remembered thinking she could balance Lou and Claude. Her ambition had gotten out of control. And she remember that back then she had been somehow proud that Lou had been the one to break things off. Lou deserved better, and it was good that she realized it, even if it destroyed Debbie.

“You walked away too! And I let you! Because it’s what I deserved. It was absolutely fair that I lost the two women I love the most in the world. It was my responsibility that our relationship was born on lies and secrets and dirty tricks. But isn’t that exactly who I am? Everything about me is lies and secrets and dirty tricks. That was exactly how I ended up in jail, right?”

The words finally broke Debbie. Tears started to flow freely and with every sentence her voice broke. In the end she only lowered her head and pressed her palms to her face as she took a recovering breath. “ _God_ , how much longer can our story be?” she grumbled, earning feeble laughs from her audience before she continued.

“Let’s see, let’s rewind, I get out of jail, I missed my brother’s death, which maybe I could have prevented if I hadn’t been stupid enough to end up there in the first place… And I’m not alright, I’m frustrated and losing my head and making everything worse by pretending everything is alright… I needed one more job, I needed one big heist, to make Danny proud, to pay his debt, to get my revenge, to feel alive again… I needed both of you. When it was over I was just lost, knowing I was still madly in love with both of you, knowing I didn’t deserve either of you, not knowing what I could do with my life next. And when I found out you had been together without me I freaked out, but it wasn’t my place, not anymore.”

With that statement, Debbie got up and straightened her clothes as Lou and Tammy watched her in utter confusion.

“That’s it, then. I guess we all realized a lot of things today, huh? Anyway, I just thought both of you deserved to know the truth, all of it. You needed to see that I was the one thing that had been wrong on this relationship since the start. We can move on now.”

“Move on?!” Tammy exclaimed, getting up.

“Move on to fucking _where_?” Lou asked, following suit.

Debbie sighed defeatedly, not wanting to fight anymore. She wasn’t expecting them to fight for her, though.

“Debbie Ocean, you are a liar, a cheater, and honestly? You are a huge mess,” Tammy said, “But didn’t we know that when we fell for you? Haven’t we all lied and cheated along with you, for you, and to you?”

“You can’t take the full responsibility, that’s not how this works,” Lou added, “I could have explained everything to Tammy myself the second I fell in love for her, but I didn’t. I could have called her to the hospital, I didn’t because I was a coward. I could have tried harder for you, I could have fought that stupid Claude Becker with my own hands easily. But giving up on you was easier, wasn't it? But it wasn’t right.”

“It’s not just that you have left us, in fact we have left each other,” Tammy explained with the patient of a teacher, “I faked having a husband and kids! For God’s sake!” she said, quickly losing her patience. “I’ve been told that if I really wanted to move on from this life and from you, I could have done it. But I didn’t, that life was fake, I kept working, conning, stealing, lying… I lied to you and to myself for so many years about wanting a life that I really haven’t wanted for God knows how long. I’m at my happiest and the truest version of myself when I’m with you, caught in some big and complicated plan with both of you… I mean, settling down sounds nice but there must be a middle ground, right?”

Those words took Debbie’s breath away. She thought she’d never be on the receiving end of Tammy’s love, tenderness and understanding ever again. But here they were. The scariest thing at the moment was Lou downcast eyes and slightly trembling hand as she got closer to her and whispered a well kept secret, the piece Debbie was missing in their storyline.

“When you left with Claude, I was so angry, I was sort of in denial. But when you went to jail, I couldn’t take it. I completely broke down. I went into an absolute darkness. So many years before, you were the one to save me. I thought that if everything was over, if you couldn’t save yourself, if we wouldn’t have each other again… I was just hopeless.”

The three of them could almost exactly picture those days. Tammy was holding her breath, like she did that day. Debbie was already shaking her head, as if refusing to accept what she was hearing. However, instead of breaking down again, Lou seemed to gain strength and confidence as she continued to talk.

“I attempted to kill myself again, Debbie. I had everything ready, but I changed my mind. I froze in place for God knows how long until Tammy found me. She freed me from the deathly trap that I had made for myself, and she took care of me. She was gentle and patient, she was determined and unyielding. She kept her distance, insisting that I should be the one to pick myself up and piece myself back together. I hated her a little bit for it, because I just felt lonely at first. But I had her love, I had her support, and before I knew it, I was back on my feet and I started running the club, stronger than ever before.”

Lou was wearing a calm smile on her face, her complete confidence and control of herself spoke volumes. It all had Debbie covering her mouth with both hands trying to suppress a sob from escaping. Tammy was crying as well, but silently and with a proud smile underneath.

“I have my setbacks and low points, obviously. But I’m ready to kick the ass of the people who hurt you. I’m not giving up, babe, ever again. I’m not letting you two be stupid again. We’re doing this. Because I said so. The three of us.”

When Lou finished, her hand was stroking Debbie’s head, ready to take her in her arms and let her cry the tears she owed herself after so many years. But Debbie had one more thing to say before she allowed herself to break down entirely for them. She stepped back away from Lou’s touch so she could look them both in the eyes. She wiped her tears away and tried her best to slow her breathing.

“I wonder if you could ever forgive me…” Debbie sighed, and after a pause she continued with more strength, “Do you want to know why I gave Constance my watch? Besides not wanting you to find me if I got into too much trouble…” She started, as she slowly took the watch of her wrist. “She was the only one who wouldn’t made fun of me if I asked her to do this for me, with a little help from Amita, of course.”

Debbie had her watch, and Lou and Tammy’s complete attention, on the palm on her hand.

“I got this watch from my brother, stole it, whatever. And he was the most important person in my life. If I was really in so much trouble as I thought I was, if that watch was the last piece of me, some names were missing on it...”

As she finished talking, Debbie picked her watch and showed it to Lou and Tammy, showing the back of it, where, accompanying Danny’s name and the dice, were now _Lou_ and _Tammy_ nicely engraved in there forever.

Unexpectedly, a high-pitched, emotional sound escaped from Tammy’s lips. Her hand quickly flew to cover her mouth, but there was no hiding that she was crying. Just like Lou and Debbie were finally allowing themselves to cry, cry openly, honestly, without shame, without holding back anything.

The three of them just couldn’t hold back any longer. They threw their arms around each other and twisted and struggled until they found the perfect fit, how they had hugged each other through the years. Fitting perfectly, like they were meant to be.

“Fuck, I swear I’m never crying again,” Lou chuckled.

“Good for you! I’ll be crying for the next two years.”

Tammy’s response, had the three of them laughing softly. They couldn’t believe it was over. They couldn’t believe it took them half their lives to finally have that conversation. But most of all, they couldn’t believe how despite all the hurt they had put each other through, in the end what they found was complete and absolute love. Happiness and big plans were waiting for them. A long night of rest would also be required, for they were beyond emotionally exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who couldn't wait any longer to post this?  
> finally finally finally  
> i reallyyyy hope this is good and you guys like it. I really liked it when I wrote it and it almost had me crying but I was rereading it before posting it right now and idk i feel a little less confident about it. does it feel rushed? i swear it wasn't. that's just Debbie's style... in my mind.  
> Well, I tried my best! Let me know what you think! :)  
> ALSO I'm about to post a little introduction to my ocean's 8 x the haunting of hill house au !!! if you are interested, which I hope you are. it's a debbie x lou fic btw i'm trying that. but of course there will be a lot of tammy with those two  
> And have a nice weekend everyone.


	18. We're Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I feel like this night lasted two months" and they still had a lot to do. The future, everything beyond that night, was much more exciting for Debbie Ocean and company.

The next morning, Tammy came out of Lou’s bathroom fully dressed and ready to start the day. Unlike the other two women who remained cozily in bed. Debbie was clearly making up for nights of lost sleep, and Lou was happily indulging her, holding her close.

“Hey, are you coming?” Tammy whispered, nodding towards the door, but she received only a suggestive eyebrow raise from Lou, “For breakfast!” she explained, but Lou only smirked, earning a blush from Tammy. who whispered “Oh my God…”

Lou laughed as quietly as possible, “No. I’m going to let her sleep a bit more.”

She had managed to get up, go to the bathroom and pick up an oversized t-shirt, but she had gotten back in bed and Debbie had quickly found a place cuddle against her.

“I missed her so much,” Tammy sighed, “I had even forgotten how she snores when she sleeps.”

This had Lou and Tammy chuckling lightly, but it was enough to earn a groan from Debbie, “Shut up,” she grumbled as she turned around in bed, getting lost under the sheets and pillows.

Tammy couldn’t stop smiling. Things were better than she would have expected. The night had been long, though, impossibly long. They had shifted through so many emotions. They had been exhausted, then re-energized by desire that seemed to go on forever, then exhausted again. But even in their sleep, they didn’t manage to escape the rollercoaster of emotions they brought to each other, that had a knot growing on Tammy’s throat again.

“I don’t want to be the one to come out of here first and face the others,” she said with a timid smile.

“Come back to bed then” Lou suggested.

“Oh no.”

But as the words left Tammy’s lips, Lou scooted to the center of the bed, pulled back the covers and extended a hand towards Tammy. How could she have denied her? Had she ever been able to say no to Lou? Many different memories flashed through her mind then. As she was sure it was the case for the other two women. The whole night they had been drifting in and out of dreams, nightmares and memories, sometimes unable to tell which ones were real at all.

 

_  
“Stop acting like a baby!” Lou hissed, shoving a helmet against Tammy’s chest._

_“I’m acting like a responsible adult that will take a very safe taxi, thank you very much!”_

_“Debbie needs us!”_

_With that argument, Lou thought she’d easily win the argument. But Tammy was genuinely terrified out of her mind of even standing close to Lou’s bike, she thrusted the helmet away from her and crossed her arms stubbornly. She didn’t blame her though, the reckless australian woman had repeatedly arrived home hurt after some incident on the streets. But that was because she was alone, what did she matter? With Tammy on her back she’d be the most careful driver in the world! She just had to make sure the younger woman believed her._

_“Debbie needs us, specifically both of us.” Lou said calmly but determined. “It’s an emergency and she needs backup. I can get us there in half the time that a taxi would. She needs someone to pass as the cute and unassuming secretary who’s fucking the millionaire that her and Danny are trying to con. We both know I can’t do that…”_

_“You don’t have to look so proud.”_

_“Plus, you’re already dressed for the occasion. And have you seen me?”_

_Lou was grinning smugly, because obviously Tammy could fool anybody by taking basically any character. Lou, on the other hand, would hardly make a single person in the world believe her. It didn’t help that underneath her jacket she was wearing a t-shirt that said “Dyke Rights”.Undoubtedly, Tammy’s was Debbie’s only hope in that case._

_“Hey, Tammy, listen. I would never, ever, let anything bad happen to you. I won’t let you get hurt. I would sacrifice myself a thousand times…”_

_“Don’t say that.”_

_“Just trust me.”_

_Tammy stared into the calm depths of Lou’s ocean blue eyes and she felt her confidence and her… love. Could she really call it that? Wasn’t she in love with Debbie and only Debbie? Why was she smiling, taking the helmet from Lou’s hands, getting up in that unsafe bike and never wanting to let go of her? They moved through the streets as if they were flying, they fit perfectly. Tammy’s heart was filled with a new type of joy she didn’t understand but God she was just having the time of her life holding on to Lou there. She could feel, in her heart, even without being able to see her face, that Lou had been smiling just as much the entire journey.  
_

 

Their sleep was interrupted not too long later. Lou had started to whimper and twist around in the bed. Considering that she had ended up right in the middle, she quickly woke up the other two. It wasn’t the first time they dealt with a situation like that. Two different nights flashed through their minds.

For Debbie, it was the night she met Lou. They had stayed on the roof of the building, staring at the stars, with Lou refusing to sleep because of her nightmares, and Debbie refusing to sleep to not leave Lou unsupervised. But Lou had still dozed off a few times, clearly lacking a good night of sleep for God knows how long. Without fail, she woke up stifling sobs and barely allowing Debbie, a complete stranger, to hold her hand through it. For Tammy, it had been the night after she found Lou on the brink of killing herself after Debbie went to jail. She had wanted to keep her distance, unsure of where they stood emotionally now that Debbie wasn’t in the picture. so she stayed in a spare room. But in the middle of the night, she woke up with a start to Lou screaming from the other room. She ran out through the door with all the intention to get to Lou’s bedside as soon as possible. She didn’t expect to crash against Lou herself in the hallway, since they both had been running toward each other.

The two of them did everything in their power to soothe Lou and wake her up as delicately as possibly. In the end, though, when the blonde woke up with a start, she sat up in bed, her chest heaving and her eyes filled up with tears, then she simply found her way to jump out of bed and into the bathroom.

She needed her space, they all were well aware of that. She needs a minute to herself, Debbie and Tammy thought at unison, not needing to say it out loud. Instead they fell back down on the mattress each one with a sigh.

“I wasn't sure she still…”

“She does,” Debbie replied. “It seems she does.” When the stillness of the night seemed to be crawling back in, Debbie whispered “What about you?”

“What? Me? No. Not anymore, I… Rarely. Never like that again. Maybe when I get sick or something.”

Satisfied with Tamy’s stuttered but somehow certain answer, Debbie started to get up from the bed to go to Lou’s side. It was a tough endeavour since she could feel the hands of the obscure memory pulling at her, trying to pin her down and drag her back to terrible, terrible times.

 

_  
A teardrop fell from Debbie’s face onto the hospital sheets that were covering most of Tammy’s frail body. She had been sick for about a week, they had irresponsibly ignored it and trusted some cheap painkillers. Until one fateful night, when Tammy’s pain had turned unbearable and the couple had to rush to the hospital, leaving a pale, horror-stricken, Lou behind._

_In the hospital, Tammy had been diagnosed with a severe stomach virus, worsened by their negligence. I should have insisted more, I should have noticed, I should have, I should have, played like a broken record on Debbie’s guilt-filled mind. She didn’t leave the hospital once during the time Tammy stayed there. She had Danny bringing her clothes, coffee and anything they needed, since Lou was powerless against the idea of entering that place. He was there for her, and he was there for Tammy. But at nights, when it was just the two of them, it was the worst._

_Tammy shifted through heavy medications and awful medical tests. She moved from moments of agonizing pain, to glimpses of hazy consciousness. When she was awake, even though she barely had the strength, her and Debbie somehow still found the way to pick up on arguments they had left unsolved._

_“The security of this place is terrible! I wonder how much money they keep, maybe equipment… the things I could pull off…”_

_“Are you fucking serious?” Tammy’s exclamation came as a surprise. Her voice was sore because of her current situation but the sharpness and coldness was purposeful. “I can’t believe even now you’re still thinking about robbing people.”_

_Truth be told, Debbie had been halfway sure that Tammy had been asleep. But that still didn’t change the meaning of her words. Her only response came in the shape of a shrug. When Tammy’s body was wrecked by a sudden cough, Debbie rushed to her side. But when Tammy got a hold of herself, she looked at her partner with an angry frown and she spoke in her strongest voice._

_“When I get out of here, I’m going to retire. I’m going to start a family and settle down in a nice house with a garden and a pool and boring dumbass neighbors.”_

_“When you get out of here, I’m going to rob this hospital. And nobody will be able to stop me.”_

_Regardless of how serious they had been back then, they were both right. Debbie had been ready for a fight, but the answer she received from Tammy was so cruel she hadn’t even imagined it. Tammy gave her absolute silence, a cynical smile and a shrug. It was something Debbie would totally do, something she had never expected from Tammy. The worst was what it meant: acceptance. Tammy was agreeing to the fact that they had different plans, that both would follow different paths, that Tammy was going to let her rob the hospital, that she didn’t care to try to change Debbie’s mind anymore. Of course, none of them thought too hard about the fact that “when I get out of here” was a sentence they repeated quite often to reassure themselves that Tammy could really make it out of there. Back then they weren’t so sure._

_At nights, however, when Tammy’s medication was stronger to get her a good night of sleep, was when Debbie rested the least and when her tears showered the hospital bed sheets. Because since her sickness started, Tammy had been having awful nightmares nearly every night. And the nights she spent at the hospital were the worst of all._

_“Tammy, Tammy, wake up,” Debbie would whisper as she gently tried to shake Tammy’s already trembling body. “Wake up, baby, you’re safe. It’s okay, I got you, please wake up.” But no matter what Debbie said or did, if Tammy woke up, it would only last a handful of hazy seconds before sleep took over again. Then Debbie was hopeless again, watching as nightmares haunted her precious girl, as whimpers and cries escaped Tammy’s lips and her body continued to shake.  
_

 

Somewhat certain that Tammy might slip back into a peaceful sleep, Debbie left the comfort of the bed and went after Lou, whom she found leaning against the sink and taking deep breaths that seemed to demand a great effort from her.

“Lou?”

“I’m okay, go back.”

“I’m not leaving, please talk to me.”

Given Lou’s tone not many people would have stubbornly stayed. But it was a fact that nobody would have replied “I’m not leaving”. That was something only Debbie could pull off. She had her rights, though. She perfectly knew how to deal with Lou. Her voice and her smile were relaxed and kind, not pressuring her. But something about her tone, about Debbie herself, showed how serious she was. She cared, she wasn’t overbearing, but she wouldn’t leave her alone.

“It was just a nightmare, go back to bed,” Lou grumbled. But of course she didn’t mean it.

Of course Lou only moved to stand straighter and open her arms to receive Debbie so they could hold on to each other. Lou didn’t need Debbie’s comforting words and they both knew it. She took far more comfort in the feeling of holding Debbie protectively in her arms. She sighed in delight even as her mind continued to replay the images of her nightmare.

 

_Lou was standing in a hospital hallway. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were glued to the black and white clock that was hanging on the wall. She stared as the seconds passed, even though the clock was moving backwards. She stared as the clock started to grow in size, growing and growing until it covered the entire wall. She stared at her own reflection in the glass of the backward-moving clock. She stared as her reflection shifted into the sorrowful face of Debbie and Tammy standing on the other side of the glass, trapped inside the clock, screaming for her, beggin for her to come and get them, screaming and screaming…._

 

Lou was once again brought back to reality by Debbie moving in her arms. The brunette turned her head to leave a delicate kiss on Lou’s collarbone, making the blonde immediately smile.

“I’m exhausted,” Lou sighed. “I feel like this night has lasted two months.”

“Hm, that’s funny,” Debbie replied. “I feel like it lasted at least thirty years.”

Both of them chuckled and continued to hold on to their embrace.

“Look, it’s really early,” Debbie said, pulling back slightly to look at Lou’s face. “I bet everyone else is still asleep. And I’m sure even Tammy fell back asleep. Let’s get back to bed.”

Lou gladly went back to her room and easily found her place beside Tammy on the bed. “Aren’t you joining us?” she questioned Debbie.

“In a minute. I really need to use the bathroom.”

Debbie, however, spent more than a minute in the bathroom. She spent enough time to let her thoughts run wild and to make sure the loves of her life were soundly asleep before she slipped out of the room altogether.

 

 

With years of experience, Debbie and Lou were well aware that Tammy either woke up extremely early, or she didn’t wake up at all while it was still morning. So, after she fell back asleep and Lou followed suit, a couple of hours easily passed by. In the end, Lou’s stomach made the decision that they had enough sleep and now it was time for breakfast. Twenty minutes of getting dressed and fighting Tammy’s heavy sleep, the couple were ready to leave the room. They had noticed Debbie’s absence and neither was sure if the brunette did get back in bed at all.

Tammy eventually made her way to the door and opened it slightly, peeking out, not wanting to run into any of the other girls who might not make questions about why the three of them shared a room but… she was just planning on avoiding them. Plans are just plans, though. Because a second later Lou had pulled the door fully open and strolled out of the room with her head held high and maybe even more confident and smug than usual. Tammy followed her eagerly.

Out of all possible scenarios - Debbie having run away from them, their team throwing a party and inappropriate jokes around - nothing would have prepared Lou and Tammy for the sight that welcomed them downstairs.  
The main area of what used to be Lou’s club and now seemed to be a home for eight, set up almost exactly like it had been the day Debbie presented them all with the plan for the Met Gala heist. Their five friends scattered around in all kinds of chairs, Debbie proudly leaning against the small stage and a presentation ready to be shown.

“Good morning, ladies. We were waiting for you two,” Debbie called out to them. “Please pass by the kitchen, pick up your breakfast and sit down. We have things to discuss… I believe we’re ready for revenge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well this took longer than expected...  
> me, chanting: revenge! revenge! revenge!  
> We have alittle bit of action coming up for the heist family. but I need to figure out what happens with ot3, maybe more angst, some fluff, more drama, or are they ready to be happy ever after? let's see...  
> let me know what you guys think!


	19. Pickpocket

“Hurry up! You look gorgeous, come on.”

“But my lipstick! Jack has my lipstick.”

“It’s fine. The boys will go pay quickly and they’ll meet us here.”

“This feels like a dream!”

Excitement, nerves and overconfidence filled the air of the not so randomly chosen suburbs street as the swarm of middle-aged and some upsettingly young women left their children and husbands behind and rushed to the registration table where a woman whose name was definitely _not_ Amita took their names and information so they could sign up for the chance of a lifetime. Celebrity couple, Daphne Kluger and Rose Weil, were hosting a very special event to find a few lucky women to accompany them as models on their new extra-secret project.

The husbands were standing as a crowd around a table where a gorgeous woman, who obviously wasn’t a talented hacker, looked at them as if they were completely insignificant. They passed her their credit cards to pay for the small fee of the competition their wives were going crazy about. And the woman obviously charged them just that. It wasn't like she was effortlessly taking their information to later use their money as she and her friends pleased.

Daphne and Rose made their grand entrance and all the women lost their minds a little. They passive-aggressively fought for a chance at talking first with the famous duo. Pictures were banned due to the secrecy of the project. It was the perfect distraction for certain youngest member of the team to sneak in the houses. Skipping from one vast and nicely kept backyard into the next, Constance moved stealthily and with a smile on her face and her backpack getting heavier after each house, occasionally high-fiving the little kids that had been left to their own devices.

“One last thing,” Nine Ball grumbled after what felt like an eternity for her. “Go over there to that house, leave your signatures with our boss and we’re done. _Thank God_.” She murmured the last part, kind of. She didn’t want to see another white middle-aged man from the suburbs ever again.

The men also complained the whole way to the designated house, they were beyond done with that whole day. At first they didn’t think much of the place they were walking into. Afterall, the house was supposedly empty, it made sense for the organizers of the event to rent it for the day, right?

They reached the front door and knocked, then knocked again and again. Whoever was inside that house was taking their sweet time to come out and deal with them. When one of them raised his hand again to knock one more time, the door suddenly opened, raising gasps and curses on the small crowd of men.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Tammy smiled. “Don’t act as if you’re seeing a ghost! If memory serves me right I was the one to leave this house walking, not crawling like some of you.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?! We’re going to call the police!” one of them shouted, his voice trembling lightly.

Tammy barely bat an eyelash. She was leaning against the doorframe, looking as immaculate and tranquil as ever.

“That sounds just perfect! Great idea. I would love to tell the police about how you little boys teamed up with some sort of mafia that was chasing my girlfriend and then violently kicked me out of my own home. Me, a helpless, fragile, housewive. Obviously I had security cameras in my house, ever thought about that?”

“No you don’t,” one of them attempted to sound certain, and failed.

“You’re a lesbian?” another asked.

“You’re the neighbor my wife was cheating on me with?”

Tammy rolled her eyes at the men’s lack of concentration, but before she said something else, one of them actually exclaimed something that got her attention.

“We’ll kick your ass!”

“Oh!” she laughed, “It’s cute that you still think you can. This is just just what I had been waiting to hear. Come on, try me.”

Some of the men wanted to think inappropriately of the situation, but none of them managed to. Because of the vague terror they felt toward that mysterious woman that didn’t even flinch when on them them stepped forward. A second passed, but Tammy’s strategy had just begun. She took a deep breath, finally straightened her posture, and started crying. She cried delicately, like a start in an old movie. It startled the men so much they let her walk past them.

“Police! Oh thank god you’re here!” Tammy called out.

“Is there a problem?”

Without anybody previously noticing, a police car had pulled up in front of the house and an officer had made her way to the front steps of the house and she was looking at them with a stern frown on her face. She was tall, blonde, gorgeous, and spoke with an Australian accent.

“Yes! These men… Oh God! They’ve been so mean to me! They wanted to come into my house, officer, my house!”

“No! No that’s not true!” the men all started to shout and complain. “She’s lying! She’s a liar! She’s a thief! We - we were just - she’s lying! She stole from us!”

“Is that true?” Another police officer came closer, she was slightly shorter, brunette, but her cold glare was just as intimidating.

“Yes, officer. We are all victims and witnesses and she stole from all of us!” one man said.

“Right,” the second officer said. “Well, thanks for letting us know, gentlemen. We should take her with us, then.”

Tammy followed the officer away from the house and into the car, she looked oddly proud. The first officer stayed still one more minute. She looked at the group of men with clear disgust in her face and spoke to them.

“If you had touch her, I would have cut all of you into pieces and sent each piece into a different prison to stay locked in the darkness until the end of times.”

Then she calmly turned around and got into the driver's seat.

“Tonight they’ll have nightmares of us,” Debbie said with a smile as they drove away. “By the time they wake up tomorrow they’ll also be poor.”

In the backseat, Tammy couldn’t stop giggling, couldn't contain her joy at the three of them working together seamlessly like that again. “Also, you both look fantastic in those uniforms!” she commented with a dreamy voice. Lou looked at her from the rearview mirror and sent a wink her way.

It had been so easy for them to get the fake uniforms, even the fake car. They picked Constance up at a curb and listened as she described every little expensive thing she took from the houses. Later on, they would meet up at their house, listen to Nine Ball explain how she got access to all their credit cards, and they would pretend they understood everything. Then they’d listen to Amita, Daphne and Rose laugh at the desperation of the women that they met, and Rose would feel about about lying to them, until Daphne leaned in and kissed her worries away.

That would become one of their favorite heists ever. It gave them good money, good revenge, good experiences as a team. Everybody seemed beyond happy at their success. Lou and Tammy, however, they knew very well the spark in Debbie’s eyes. She was far from satisfied, far from done with the job. A hit of anxiety caught Tammy’s heart again, it felt painfully familiar. Would anything ever be enough for Debbie?

 

 

There were a few very special spots around New York that Constance new very well. Crowded, full of tourists, full of people ready or not to lose a little bit of money and maybe their watches. She was convinced that the girl that stole Debbie’s watch from her had to be in one of those places. That’s it, if she didn’t get enough money by selling the infamous object to just never go back. Or if she didn’t get in trouble for simply carrying that thing around. The thought sent shivers down her spine. But something in Constance heart, the part that still held tightly to the kisses they shared, and the part of her that had willingly came back to those spots even after becoming a millionaire, that part of her told her she’d find her girl there.

But how could she search thoroughly? How could she be in all those spots at the same time?

“We’re splitting up,” Debbie announced that day before they left the house. “Constance, Nine Ball and Lou, you’re playing pickpockets. Tammy, Daphne, Rose, Amita, you’re playing naive tourists.”

“What will you do?” Tammy questioned her.

“Moving around. Making sure none of you gets in real trouble.”

Debbie’s reply, coupled with her confident smile and the playful glint in her eyes was more than enough to make Tammy roll her eyes and hope she wasn’t blushing.

“May I ask…” Rose started.

“Why is so important to catch the girl that broke this kids heart?” Nine Ball interrupted her with a laugh.

While Constance pouted, Debbie redirected the attention back to herself. “Because, that girl was the one piece of the puzzle that brought my watch to the men that kidnapped me. So she kind of saved my life, making it possible for you to find me, but she also could have ruined mine and also all your lives. I need to know if she works for them. And if not, I need to know exactly how it moved from her hands to theirs and…”

“And you can’t stand to see Constance sad,” Lou jocked with certainty.

“And you all will be wearing fake watches and pieces of jewelry made by Amita…”

“Why?” Daphne interrupted her this time. “I mean, we are all rich now. Can’t we just… buy more?”

Debbie took a deep breath to control her temper and explained herself, again, “Because, if I don’t keep all of you working you’ll get lazy. And honestly, you’re all getting too comfortable. If someone questions me again, I swear-”

“Mom!” Constance shouted from the kitchen, “can we bring snacks?” she asked.

“Let’s go,” Debbie whispered with finality.

 

Debbie’s first stop was checking in on Constance. It frustrated how much it felt like leaving her kids on their first day of school. She didn’t have kids. And Constance was an adult. But Debbie didn’t mind the pride she felt when Constance strolled to her with a big grin on her face.

“Did you see her?” Debbie asked curiously as soon as they were close enough.

“Not even someone that looks alike!” Constance replied cheerfully. “But you can take these…”

As she spoke, Constance emptied the contents of her pockets into Debbie’s hands.

“Now this is just a bad habit,” Debbie commented.

“Nope. It’s a fun hobby.”

Apparently high on the adrenaline of being back on her field of expertise, Constance didn’t waste another second on turning around and back into action. Debbie stayed around a few more minutes, fully entertained by the younger woman’s strategy. Then she moved on, excited to see if her entire team was having just as much fun.

 

“I fucking _hate_ this!” Lou whisper-shouted to Debbie.

As soon as she had spotted her girlfriend, Lou had jumped from the bench where she had been sitting and grabbed Debbie’s arms, moving them out of anyone’s earshot.

“What happened?”

“People! And I don’t like them.”

Lou accentuated each word as if she was leaving a deadly treat. It only made Debbie struggle to fight a smile.

“Don’t laugh at me, don’t you dare, Debbie,” Lou grumbled. “It’s been years since I did this kind of job. I grew out of this! I can’t stand to play this role and I don’t want dumbass tourists thinking they are smarter than me and-”

Lou was suddenly stopped with a kiss from Debbie. It was perfect, although brief, it was passionate. It was like Debbie could take all of Lou’s anger and tension in an instant, with just one kiss. Afterwards, she had to bite her lip, feeling as if her heart, overflowing with love, could escape out of her. There they were, a simple pickpocketing job at a park, kissing behind a tree, like they were teenagers, but even more in love.

“Can I come with you?” Lou asked, back in her smooth tone and calm confidence.

“No,” Debbie answer, lightening her response with a chaste kiss on Lou’s lips and already starting to walk away. “I’m afraid you’ll lose your touch. I need all of you to stay on top of your… criminal game.”

She chuckled under her breath and walked away, pretending she didn’t hear when Lou whispered behind her, “ _Forever?_ ” she had asked. What else would they do? Debbie asked herself. Could they wish for something else? A different life? Would they be able to achieve something else?

 

The next two stops were pretty unsurprising. Nine Ball and Tammy were really getting into their roles. First off was Tammy, and Debbie easily spotted her, playing perfectly the act of a lost and curious tourist in a crowd that really isn’t being careful with that expensive-looking but fake as hell bracelet that is dangerously hanging from her wrist.

Debbie had planned on surprising her girlfriend, sneaking up to her and robbing the bracelet herself. When Tammy would turn around and look for Constance’s girl she’d find Debbie. But, as soon as Debbie’s fingers grazed the bracelet, Tammy’s fingers sneaked around her wrist quickly. Without Debbie even noticing how it happened, suddenly they were holding hands.

“I spotted you walking here from a mile away.” Tammy smiled, turning around to face the love of her life.

“Liar,” Debbie accused Tammy, posing with a fake pout that was quickly kissed away. “How are you doing here?”

“Good! Some of these new kids are a little too rough, though,” Tammy complained, dropping Debbie’s hand to rub her slightly scratched wrist. “They are not professional at all, I’ll tell you that.”

“Do you want to leave?” Debbie asked, while mentally chastising herself for letting her soft spot for Tammy show once again. She took the other woman’s hand in hers to gently caress her wrist.

“No, no. It’s okay.” Tammy answered, “I’ve already caught two girls. So I have a feeling Constance’s girl could be around.”

Debbie, however, noticed the little scratches that inexperienced pickpockets had left on her girl’s soft skin. She felt her blood heating up. And again scolded herself, because she was about to let her two biggest weakness show. Tammy and Lou. Their comfort was a priority for her, and she couldn’t help it or fight it for too long.

“I’m going to give you a secret,” Debbie leaned in to whisper into Tammy’s ear. “Lou is really struggling with this assignment. As in throwing tantrums and pouting in park benches.” While Debbie spoke, Tammy leaned into her and giggled adorably. “If you get tired, I’m sure she’ll love to see you.

“Okay.” Tammy replied excitedly, leaving a kiss on Debbie’s cheek and leaving already in the general direction of where Lou should be.

 

Nine Ball’s case was a complete success. Debbie watched her as the hacker expertly moved through a game of cards just like Constance had taught her. In fact, Nine Ball was so into it, that as soon as she spotted Debbie in the crowd her only reaction was to wave her away. Debbie was confused an instant, almost offended to be dismissed like that. And she had just decided against taking her turn on the game, to either embarrass her friend or herself, when she turned around and spotted Daphne and Rose hurriedly walking away.

Debbie quickly made her way towards them with a mild frown on her face.

“What’s going on?” she asked them, as the three of them stopped to talk. “Did you find her? Why did you both leave your places?”

“We didn’t,” Daphne answered, and then directed her attention to Rose. “Tell her what happened.”

“Well I got robbed! Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Baby, they robbed you your real watch and three rings.”

Daphne’s voice revealed that she had obviously stated her argument previously, maybe more than once. Their discussion was as comical as it was endearing. Debbie couldn’t help but cross her arms and listen to them. At times, Rose was completely oblivious to Daphne’s loving teasing. But then Rose would out of nowhere let out a witty answer that left Daphne speechless. It was a wonderful scene. So much so that a few minutes in, Nine Ball’s curiosity won. She saved the money she had earned and walked to stand beside Debbie. 

And they were there just listening to Rose explain how it was all part of plan, when Amita’s voice reached their ears.

“Guys! Hello! Let’s go!” she was saying as she waved her arms above her calling their attention. “We have to go! Constance found her!”

Amita herself was one more endearing sight. Her body was actually showing a little bit of evidence on her pregnancy. And once again Debbie felt her heart swell with pride. Amita was an old friend and she’d do everything in her power to make sure that woman and baby remained happy and healthy for the rest of their lives.

“Come on, hurry up, I’m pregnant and emotional,” Amita said as she walked past them keeping up her accelerated pace. “Oh my, you should record this! It’s like a romantic movie!”

Her suggestion was aimed at Nine Ball, who frowned and shook her head. “Yeah, no, that’s not happening.”

“Rose! what happened to your rings?” Amita asked then, obviously noticing the absence of her masterpieces.

“Well,” Rose and Daphne attempted to answer simultaneously.

“You can tell me later. Let me just call Tammy and then Lou to let them know.”

“Actually…” Debbie tried to explain.

Amita was already on the phone, “What do you mean you’re with Lou? Ugh you’re that kind of couple. Anyway meet us there!" As Amita continued to ramble and lead the group with her accelerated steps, Nine Ball raised an eyebrow and moved close to Debbie.

“Hey, is her baby caffeinated or what did she smoke?”

Her comment went unheard by the soon to be mother, but Debbie didn’t have such luck, and her laugh had been impossible to fight.

 

When the larger part of the group arrived at the meeting point, it was obvious Lou and Tammy were scolding Constance. The tallest one had her arms crossed and a frown on her face. However, it was clear as day in the glow of her eyes that Tammy’s dissatisfaction was no match to her amusement. Constance seemed ecstatic. As soon as she spotted the group she ran towards them.

“Hey everyone I got it!” she shouted and was received with cheers. “Mom! I got her phone! _Literally!_ ”

Then Constance proceeded to taking a phone out of her pocket… A phone that wasn’t hers.

“What… did you do?” Debbie had to ask.

“Well, I found her, didn’t I?”

“Couldn’t you just, oh I don’t know, talk to her?” Daphne spoke up, “like a normal person?”

Constance ignored her and addressed the group. “Look, I was thinking, I don’t want a relationship that starts after one robs the other.”

“Constance,” Lou interrupted, called her out.

“Okay I actually loved the concept. So, obviously it was my turn to rob her. Then I though, if she likes me back, it’ll be her turn to find me.”

Unorthodox method, some of her friends liked it more than others. Debbie, personally, didn’t bother to hide her proud smile. It had been a couple of electrifying days and she was just getting started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow!! it's been so long since i updated!! so sorry about that. life's been just a disaster lol  
> but i hope you guys are still here, i hope you guys like this new chapter, and please let me know if you're still interested in me continuing this fic. there's probably not too long left for it but we could see about that  
> thank you so much for reading!!


	20. Your Turn

They were home. And that was no longer a strange concept. Lou was the owner of the place, legally or not, which meant it was kind of Debbie and Tammy’s place as well. But without any words needing to be exchanged, it was more than clear that the once cold and now constantly full of life structure was home to five other women as well. To their door arrived mysterious packages for certain hacker, and unexpected mannequins for certain stylist. Between those walls Constance argued with the entire team like the perfect example of older and younger sisters, and in their kitchen was always a trustworthy storage of _Nutella for Crisis, property of Rose_. Each woman had their own bedroom and it felt completely natural to just exist in that space. Not to mention the fact that three of them were the picture perfect couple that filled their home with love as much as the unexpected.

Unexpected, as the reunion in which they found themselves one random day a week after their last heist. The unsurprising thing being that Debbie was the only one that didn’t look surprised in the slightest. It was the Met Gala all over again, even more intense.

“Since you’re all here,” Debbie started, “and you seem to be paying as much attention as you are apparently capable of…” she directed an intense look towards Constance who hardly ever looked up from her phone nowadays. “Maybe it’s time to start discussing our next project.”

“ _Oh?_ there’s another one?” Rose exclaimed.

“You’re doing a great job at making it seem like you’re just casually coming up with this on the spot,” Tammy said to Debbie, who took it as a compliment.

Debbie got up from her chair, left her coffee cup behind and started explaining herself. “The men that attacked Tammy at her home have learned their lesson…”

“And lost their money. Dumbasses” Constance whispered with a snicker and her eyes still glued to the screen of her phone.

“So I’ve decided that our next mark should be Nine Ball’s place. We’re taking it back,” she declared.

“Uh, sounds like a bad idea.”

She wasn’t counting on that comment, so Debbie threw a sharp look in Daphne’s way. “It’s perfect,” she stated. “Now, this is the situation…”

With a wave of her hand Debbie seemed to evoke Lou’s presence. The blonde had been quiet so far, sitting on the sidelines and staring at her ambitious lover. As Lou walked to the front of the group, her confidence was there, hypnotizing as always. But, looking closer, in the way she leaned against the small stage like she needed the support, she wasn’t entirely herself.

“We know that the place has been taken by a small elite group that controls the relationships between the regular robbers and corrupt policemen,” she started her explanation. Her voice was certain, she could have fooled them. But she was tapping her feet impatiently on her floor, there was the smallest hint of breathlessness in her tone. “Both groups are dangerous, reckless and hate each other. This is just a relatively safe spot for negotiation and running their business. They won’t leave easily.”

Lou cleared her throat, loosened the scarf around her neck and kept her eyes on the floor. A bitter laugh came from the back of the room.

“Yeah, pretty sure this is a terrible idea.”

“Daphne,” Debbie scolded her. “Just listen to my plan.”

“Uh, Debs,” Nine Ball spoke up, “maybe the princess is not so wrong. This looks a little bit too risky, isn’t it? These guys are… they won’t ever leave, not truly.”

Well, these doubts weren’t part of her plan. Debbie rolled her eyes and started pacing in front of them. “No, no, they won’t leave easily. It won’t be a simple little heist. We have to, let’s say, completely extinguish their fire.”

Fire. When Debbie looked up and stared one by one at the eyes of her girls, it was obvious the real fire was there in her stare.

“I have been planning this forever,” she whispered dreamily. “It’ll be… amazing. Hostages. Fake death. The whole deal.”

“ _God no._ ”

That had been Tammy. She let out a big sigh and tightly closed her eyes, simultaneously hoping to erase and relieve memories of their past.

“Tammy! Yes, you know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” Debbie exclaimed, “Would you like to explain it to the group.

“Not really,” she said, and continued either way. “You’ve been dreaming of this plan since… forever. Basically, you need to take one place,”

“Nine Ball’s,” Debbie confirmed.

“So you need to set a base nearby,”

“Her shoebox-sized apartment right on the other side of the street.”

“You can oversee everything from there. First, you send spies,”

“Constance and Lou.”

“Then, you start a distaction. A fake hostages situation. Calling the police, the news, creating chaos.”

“That’d be Daphne, Rose and I from the apartment. As soon as the real police show up, the corrupts across the street will lose their shit.”

“You’ll need a fake cop and a fake paramedic,”

“Amita and Nine Ball.”

After Debbie’s confirmation, Tammy couldn’t bring herself to keep talking. She knew what was next. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists and told herself she knew Debbie would make her do this one day, _she knew_.

“There’s only one thing left. We need to fake the death of an innocent, not the fake hostage, but someone at Nine Ball’s place. The death of an innocent will kick them out, definitely. And Tammy, you’re just the perfect…”

“Debbie are you crazy?” finally Amita spoke up. “You want to fake Tammy’s death. Is that really what you’re going to do?”

“We are capable.”

“Morally?”

“Excuse me?”

Debbie couldn’t believe what the conversation was turning into. She had viewed her team as a net composed of tight knots and resistant to any threat. But she could feel the knots that tied her to her team slowly loosening, some ropes snapping away from her, losing control.

“This is a solid plan,” she remarked.

“It’s good, babe, I told you, but… we’d need more people, more money-” Lou’s comment was waved away by Debbie. More money and more people? Like they needed them at the Met Gala?

“Absolutely not. I have complete trust in us. And money? What are you talking about? That’s the one thing we can take for granted now.”

Debbie chuckled and continued pacing the room. She wasn’t picking up on something obvious that the rest of the team were starting to notice.

“Hey, Deborah, listen for a second, okay?” Nine Ball intervened. “It’s no big deal. You said it, money is not a problem. I can easily open up a new place.”

The entire group nodded along in agreement, Debbie felt stranded in a shore, watching as some unnamed tide took everything away from her.

“No, no, no. What about revenge? You can’t just let it go. You have to prove them, you… you… Veronica! She’ll come back from college at some point right? She’d want to see this!” Debbie was losing control, her reasoning was looking highly desperate, close to meaningless. Nobody dared interrupted her. “It’s a fantastic plan! We scare them off, we get revenge, we make an spectacle, we can rob them on the way the out…”

“Debbie! It think that’s enough!” 

Now that got the entire room quiet. The all liked Rose, they respected her, they loved her, they had never been been intimidated by her. But the authority in her voice when she spoke those words… Everyone stayed still, waiting for her to say something else. She seemed taken off guard as much as anyone else, clearly nervous. But the last of her courage was enough to make one last remark.

“I think we should take a break.”

Her suggestion was welcomed warmly and the group swiftly spread away and around the house. As an unspoken agreement, Lou and Tammy stayed behind with Debbie. Who let out a loud sigh and walked up to them.

“What happened?” she asked, genuinely.

“It’s a good plan,” Lou commented distractedly, looking through a handful of paper where Debbie had scribbled details of her plan. “Dangerous, that’s all.” But it wasn’t all. They knew it. “You put me as one of the spies.”

“Yes. It’s a critical role and I need you there. You and and Constance are the most daring members of my team.”

“I don’t feel daring. Not anymore,” Lou sighed. “You don’t mean daring, you mean reckless. And I was. Reckless, I mean. But that was back then. I was… I didn't care what happened to me during a job. I care now, Debbie. I actually wouldn’t like to get hurt, I think.”

A deep silence fell over them. The implications of Lou had just said were massive. Of course, they could take money for granted. But had Debbie been taking their lives for granted all this time?

“Yes, uh, it’s a very dangerous job, maybe we should… forget about it,” Debbie said with cold, forced carelessness. “I’ll have to think of something else. I - I’m just going to - I’m going to think about it.”

Debbie walked away unable to look in the eyes of the women who owned her heart, because her head was a mess. Lou and Tammy understood that they had to give her some space, let her have some time alone. But that didn’t mean they weren’t all things worried, scared, and uncomfortable for how everything was turning out.

Tammy looked to her side and waited until Lou looked back at her. The blue of her eyes was so precious, Tammy couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t let her kill me,” she whispered.

In that moment Lou understood a few things about what her girlfriend was attempting to do. First, Tammy was joking, trying awkwardly to lighten the situation, and it was adorable. Second, Tammy was worried and she really didn’t want to fake her death. Third, Tammy had also noticed how frightened Lou was, as well as how embarrassed that display of vulnerability had made her. So, Tammy was trying to appear more vulnerable herself, to ask for protection even if as part of joke, to help Lou feel daring again.

It worked. Even if Lou knew the secrets, Tammy’s magic always worked. Lou put her arms around the shorter woman and kissed her forehead. Maybe if they held each other tightly and long enough, Debbie would come back.

 

 

It wouldn’t be unheard of if Lou and Tammy had lost track of time by being too wrapped up in each other’s embrace. But really only a few minutes had passed when Debbie walked back inside. It was so unexpected that Lou and Tammy didn’t even manage to get up from the sofa where they had been sitting when Debbie found her place with them.

Lou was sitting in the middle and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, “I’m glad you’re back,” she said.

“How could I not? I’m never leaving you girls again.”

Lou and Tammy smiled in response. They took note of how genuine Debbie looked, her eyes were unusually expressive it made their hearts burst with love for that troublemaker brunette. But they didn’t say anything else, sensing that Debbie was about to say something else.

“Truthfully,” she started, “I came came back so quickly because I found this outside.”

She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and passed her to the other women, who looked in disgust as the messy and familiar handwriting, “ _Dear Oceans, I’m still waiting._ ”

“He actually never stopped sending these messages…”

“ _What?!_ ” Tammy exclaimed, almost jumping from the couch but being pulled back down gently by Lou. “And you kept that from us?!”

“I’m sorry,” Debbie said, and meant it.

“I thought you had changed, at least a little. But I’m afraid that’s not the case.” Tammy was clearly disappointed, but she seemed to gain reigns of her temper. “I’m furious with you Debbie,” she noted, “but I’ve learned to live with that. So, what now? We obviously have to do something.”

They really did have to do something. If the plan to get back Nine Ball’s place appeared too dangerous and was badly received, they didn’t even want to imagine what they’d have to pull off to get out of that big mess.

“Lou, what are you thinking?”

Debbie’s voice was gentle, not condescending, genuinely curious. In response Lou sighed, stretched languidly on the couch and relaxed herself. This was obvious not something she was overly confident in discussing, but she looked like herself again. With both arms stretched on the back of the couch behind her lovers’ heads, she explained her train of thought.

“I’m thinking that I’m deeply frustrated with myself,” her tone was serene and her accent showing up was so enthralling that it almost distracted Debbie and Tammy from the important matters at hand. “I’m thinking that I want to do this. I want to go all out and feel that adrenaline and risk everything and do anything for you. But I’m scared.”

Lou nodded with certainty, embracing the words and the sentiment. Tammy’s hand that was holding one of hers gave her a reassuring squeeze and Debbie nodded along in support. So, she continued.

“I’m scared,” she repeated, “which I thought was a bad thing. But, you know, in the past few years I learned the value in being cautious and rational, stability and safety, taking care of myself and taking care of both of you. The importance of staying, you know… _alive_.”

Although Lou shrugged nonchalantly, that last word knocked the air out of Debbie’s lungs. She had to close her eyes to bear with the onslaught of emotions she was feeling. In the darkness of the back of her eyelids a vision played, the night she met Lou. But the Lou of that vision wasn’t standing on the edge of a rooftop in Las Vegas ready to jump. In the vision, they didn’t come back down to a life of trouble. In the vision, Lou and Tammy were both standing on the rooftop, holding their hands out to her. Sure Debbie was alive, but the two women she loved most in the world were right there, offering her a _life_.

“Have you ever thought that I can get scared too?” Debbie finally blurted out. 

“Of course, Debbie.”

Tammy spoke sincerely and reached out a hand in support and placed it on Debbie’s knee. But she was interrupted before she could go on.

“No, you don’t get it,” Debbie shook her head. “I mean, yes, you know it scared me to settle down, and… Look, all of it terrifies me.” Debbie spoke with so much conviction and sincerity and vulnerability. It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen in her. Lou and Tammy were speechless, hanging on to her every word. The rest of the team was slowly coming out of their hiding place and staring at their leader let down her once invincible walls.

“It scares me to try and settle down just to find out I don’t fit there. It scared me to try something new and find out I can’t succeed, I’ll fail and be a failure. It scares me so much to leave this world behind… I was raised with the mindset of extravagant lives and big heists and all of that, that was my family… This is who I am, all I know and all I have… If I leave this life behind I’ll just be empty, I’ll have nothing, and I’ll be nothing… And that’s a pretty scary.”

When she started talking and through most of her speech, Debbie’s voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears. Towards the last couple of sentences, however, after taking steadying breaths, she looked more composed than ever. Who knew that accepting your emotions and your fears would feel so relieving?

The silence settled around them and Lou and Tammy allowed it, they couldn’t find anything to say. It felt so wrong. Eventually, it wasn’t any of them who broke the silence.

“You’ll have all of us.”

It was Constance. The younger member of the team, the one who admired Debbie the most, the one who carried in silence the guilt and belief of being the one to blame for Debbie’s disappearance, until she was one of the reasons they even found her.

“You’ve had a crazy life, Debbie Ocean,” Daphne said. “There’s no way you’d come out empty handed… and I’m not even talking about the money.”

The actress’ smile was dazzling, but it was honest. Daphne came to the group looking for friends, and she came out with the love of her life and a family beside them. Her girlfriend readily agreed.

“Right. You’re an amazing woman, darling. Don’t try to fool us, we all know you’re capable of doing anything in this world and just… conquer it,” Rose finished dramatically

They understood that Debbie’s ways fell on the unethical side of the scale, but that didn’t mean that woman hadn’t changed all of their lives for the better. In one way or another Debbie had done something good for this world. Simply getting rid of Claude Becker’s presence in society was a notorious good deed.

“So, you’ll always be a leader, Constance mom, and kind of a bitch,” Nine Ball added. “Plus, you have a pretty cool new family.”

Those words, even with the lighthearted delivery, touched everyone’s heart, finally made a tear escape from Debbie’s eyes and inspired Amita to move forward and speak up her heart.

“Yes! Debbie, this,” she gestured around, “this a new family, for all of us. Unconditional and everlasting. You made this, you created this, you changed our lives! Maybe it did start with a big heist, but I think at this point is about so much more than that, don’t you think?”

When silence filled the room again it was a whole new story. Eight women were smiling and holding back tears, or not. But it didn’t feel so wrong. It wasn’t over though.

“Of course,” Debbie said, getting up. “Of course.”

She looked around at her team, her friends, her family. The rest of her words were stuck in her throat, and for the first time she understood that she didn’t need to give them a speech back. She just needed to accept what they were giving her. However, when she felt Lou and Tammy stand up beside her, she couldn’t help herself.

“I think it’s your turn.”

Her comment prompted a few laughs and when she looked into the impossible depths of Lou’s eyes she saw her amusement, but the blonde woman only smiled calmly and continued with seriousness.

“You already know how much I love you. Till death do us part,” she picked up Debbie’s hands in hers and kissed them. “I’m yours. My entire heart. And my body as well.” The remark made them both chuckle but she wasn't done. “It’s okay to be scared, Debbie. We just don’t have to do it alone.”

Just like that there was just one woman left.

Tammy took a step away from her hiding place behind Lou, but when she locked eyes with Debbie she had to look down. She didn’t feel like the brave, legendary, first woman that ever said no to Debbie Ocean, the woman that walked away from Debbie all those years ago. This time she was walking towards Debbie timidly, she felt like the little girl that didn’t understand why boys couldn’t be like Debbie so she could like them, she felt like that girl that stole a bank at fifteen years old because her friend asked and she had a crush on her. Looking back, Tammy was pleased to understand that’s she’d do it all again. She felt so, so in love with Debbie, so she had to let her know.

“Debbie, I love you so much,” she said. “At this point I won’t ever again ask you for a lawful life. All of this is as tempting to you as it is to me. I see it now. I would like a home, yes, a family and a little bit of peace. But more than anything I want you, all of you. I love you.”

Well, that settles it, Debbie though. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t lose her girls again. They were really all on the same team, on the same page finally. That confirmation completely evaporated a good piece of her fears.

“I love you,” she whispered, looking back and forth between Lou and Tammy. “I love all of you,” she said more loudly, addressing the entire group. “Unless you make me cry ever again. In that case you’re kicked out of the house.” She breathed in the feeling of the awkward silence dissolving and their joyful reality coming together again. “Now let’s act like a real family and let’s go out for dinner, alright?”

Just like that they were suddenly back on track, functioning like the perfect team in order to get them all ready to leave the house. While the five other women got ready for dinner, Debbie turned back to her great loves and noticed the slight apprehension on their eyes.

“Hey, it’s fine. We’ll be fine. _I’ll be fine_ ,” she assured them. “I’m just feeling a little emotional and I hate it,” she laughed lightly. “I just really want to go out and have a little fun, okay?”

“Okay, let’s go, then.”

Lou nodded and lead them to her bedroom, because of course she had a lot to do about her outfit. They had been a perfect team for so many years, they more than understood when words were enough. Tammy, on the other hand, decided to embrace that cozy memory and the feelings of a teenager in love with her best friend. She jumped into Debbie’s arms, holding tightly and not letting go even as they followed up the stairs who they considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world.


	21. Invincible

Ironically, it was one of Debbie’s favorite restaurants, but her whole team was reunited there without her. Tammy and Lou sitting closely together, capable of feeling the anxiety radiating from the other one. Daphne and Rose timidly exploring the first stages of a relationship, again. A very pregnant Amita trapped between the bickering of Nine Ball and Constance. So far they had enjoyed the small talk, the occasional joke and survived the awkward silence, but there was only so much they could take and when everyone remained quiet for more one second as they were finishing their food, Constance spoke up.

“It’s so weird being here without mom.”

Her emotion was sincere, the group nodded in understanding, but they also had to agree with Nine Ball’s addition, “Admit it, though, it would have been awkward if she had been here, too.”

“I can’t stand seeing her like this,” Tammy sighed. She pushed her plate away, apparently done with her food. She closed her eyes when Lou started playing with her hair, but it didn’t help as much as the gesture usually did. “You’re supposed to act weird and feel inadequate when you leave prison, not when months have passed.”

Daphne hummed in agreement, “She’s not herself lately, is she?”, her eyes were focused on Rose’s hand as she played with the rings there, it was obvious she was feeling some kind of guilt. “I had no idea that one plan mattered so much to her,” she said.

Before Nine Ball could intervene and say she didn’t care that much either, she wasn’t that attached to the small business she’d lost, Amita beat her to it.

“It’s not just that, though. Debbie’s going through a lot. I think no one has ever told her no. And the situation with these guys and that money… the fact that they keep bringing up Danny must hurt her. Plus, it seems she has the chance at a new and different life ahead of her, and she doesn’t quite know how to… take the chance.”

Wise words, they thought. But Lou and Tammy couldn’t bring themselves to meet their friends eyes. They were well aware that for good or bad they had a lot to do with Debbie’s sudden change in mood. And they were feeling more than slightly guilty. All around the table the seven women were lost in their thoughts for a minute, reminiscing strange encounters they had with Debbie that past week when she wasn’t, like they all agreed, herself. She walked with her head down, maybe too deep in her thoughts but now coming up with anything she liked. She was quiet, thoughtful, isolated from anybody else. Lou and Tammy recognized some tendencies to how Debbie looked before coming up with a brilliant plan. But this time, nothing happened. she was just distant. There was no spark at all in her eyes, no creativity, no mischief, no Debbie Ocean.

Debbie’s unusual behavior went from the little things to bigger issues. For example, her little encounter with Daphne and Rose. As the couple shared, they were in the kitchen of their house, maybe kissing a little bit. The details, of course, weren’t precise. Then, Debbie entered the kitchen in a hurry, threw a “No kissing in the kitchen”, served herself a quick glass of water and left the place without actually meeting her friends’ eyes. No traces of joking or friendliness in her voice.

While Lou and Tammy were able to divert the conversation when the group questioned them if Debbie was against kisses in general, they exchanged one look and it was enough to know they both had one incident in mind. One recent morning, when they watched from Lou’s bed as Debbie got dressed for the day. They had no plans, nowhere to be, no reason to leave the comfort of the sheets so early. Lou and Tammy, equally as naked, watched with interest and confusion the actions of their partner.

“Where do you think you’re going, Miss Ocean?” Lou had asked her, attempting playfulness.

But Debbie simply halted the process of buttoning up her shirt and without looking up at them, “I don’t really know,” she sighed. Then she finished with the shirt and left the room. She also left behind a pair of worried women.

Additionally, there was that strange exchange during movie night. Tammy and Debbie were cuddling in one of the couches, the younger one completely entranced by the movie. She only woke up from her enjoyable trance when she heard Debbie scoff and say “This is stupid!”. She sounded so frustrated.

All that Tammy could muster as a reaction was a feeble “What?”

She loved the movie so much, she had watched it countless times with Debbie, who she thought loved it as well. Afterall, who didn’t love a good lesbian romance set in the 1950s? It also helped that the lead actress looked so much like Lou. Debbie also used to say one of the actresses looked like Tammy, but she wasn’t so sure. So, what bothered Debbie so much that night? She wouldn’t know. Because all Debbie gave for an answer was “Oh no, no, nothing. It’s nothing.” as she shook her head negatively, maybe the action was to clear her head. Tammy wouldn’t know about that either. It was so strange for her, not knowing what Debbie meant at any given moment. She was so used to just knowing every little twist and turn of the wheels in Debbie’s mind.

Lou as well had another story she could and wouldn’t share. They were sharing a quiet day in, as there seemed to be plenty of those lately. However, it wasn’t the most common occurrence to catch Lou working away in the kitchen. It wasn’t so extraordinary but well, out of the eight of them she simply wasn’t the one that spent the most time in there. In contrast, she was the strongest supporter of going out to eat at the best restaurants, or ordering food and not worrying about anything else. But, that particular day, only half of her focus was on the vegetables she was chopping, because there was a certain brunette on the other side of kitchen stealing the rest of her attention.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch?” Lou had to ask Debbie, but she only received a chuckle and more silence. Then, a quick glance was enough for Lou to determine that Debbie’s main focus was on her hands, the ones handling the sharp knife, so what if… Lou faked a wrong, quick movement that took the edge of the knife dangerously close to her fingers. When she heard Debbie’s sharp intake of breath she understood. Out of patience, she harshly dropped the knife on the counter and turned to Debbie.

“If you’re going to start monitoring every single remotely close to dangerous thing I do… maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Although at first she sounded furious, as she spoke Lou regained control of her voice and reminded herself that she was speaking to Debbie. Her Debbie. In the end she couldn’t keep hiding her vulnerable side. Or could she try harder this time?

“No. It’s not that.” Debbie replied.

“Then what?”

Lou’s question was almost desperate, on the verge of losing her patience and letting her temper show. She needed to know they were still on the same page, they didn’t think any less of the other, they were still invincible. But all Debbie gave her was silence. There was a time when she could expertly read that silence. But the strange atmosphere that surrounded them had clouded their connection. Meaning the Lou couldn’t possibly decipher that Debbie was lost in her thoughts, not about Lou getting hurt with a random kitchen knife, but of a lifetime of seeing her in the kitchen, spending forever together, chopping vegetables for all of eternity, could they survive a normal life like that? Could she possibly do it?

Among the rest of the stories that the group shared out loud, Amita and Constance commented they had caught Debbie a few times staring at her watch, her brother’s watch, and completely lost in the moment, unaware of her surroundings, just hypnotized by the small accessory. This started feeding all kinds of theories. Debbie hasn’t properly grieved her brother, Debbie hasn’t forgiven herself, Debbie will never change, Debbie has changed too much, _Debbie, Debbie, Debbie._

In the end, against all odds, it was Constance who stood out as the voice of reason, “Moms, don’t you think maybe, just maybe, you should talk to her?” she asked.

Lou scoffed in response, “Yeah no, I don’t think so.” She took a long sip of her glass of water and frowned at the boring taste. “Talking is really not our thing.”

Beside her, Tammy laughed fondly at her girlfriend’s confidence, and although she agreed to some extent, “Maybe we should,” she said. “You know Amita’s right. It’s everything. Her brother, the money, her past, her future, everything is bothering her. Plus, she’s at a loss, she didn’t know how to react to one of her plans not being accepted.”

“Do you think we should have tried to do it, Tammy?” Nine Ball asked her with genuine concern that was reflected in every other face around the table. 

But Tammy could only shrug in response. Instead it was Lou who replied.

“It’s not just that, though,” she said, “it’s also the messages from this awful guy. He must have found out Debbie has millions now and he wants her to pay for every penny her entire family ever borrowed from him.”

“Wait,” Daphne interrupted her and dramatically held her hands out. “Do you mean the creepy letters came back?”

“Oh they never stopped, apparently,” Lou said and finished her water. Her anger was so strong it almost felt like an entire other presence sitting at the table there with them.

A few seconds of silence followed as each woman got lost in her thoughts, again. Eventually, Rose raised her hand. The gesture warmed Daphne’s heart. She even waited for Lou’s amused nod to start talking.

“Right. So, if I understand correctly… Debbie’s been receiving these sketchy letters with threats from a man who kid of hates her and kidnapped her once, right?” the group nodded along. “Right… and we left her home alone?”

One last second of silence… the penny dropped… seven women jumped out of their seats and into action.

 

 

After what felt like the longest trip back home, all the women arrived and crossed the front door in a hurry. Lou had been leading the group and when she stopped in her tracks, stunned and confused, almost all the rest of them crashed against her back. But Lou didn’t move an inch, she didn’t flinch, she only smiled at the sight in front of her.

“Well, aren’t you a slow group?” Debbie asked with a triumphant grin from the middle of the room. “Now, settle down, quickly. I have a lot to explain and we have a lot to do.”

The group of women walked in a confused haze towards the middle of the room and they took their usual seats while Debbie looked on from the front. She appeared relaxed, but with an electrifying smile in place. She looked… like Debbie Ocean again. And the nervous group in front of her looked just like they did months ago before the Met Gala. Only this time, Lou was on their side. Both Debbie and Lou felt the loss. But one exchange of looks and they communicated everything. They were going to be okay. In fact, Lou was ready to relinquish all power she ever had if that would get her Debbie back.

“Now, these are a few of the letters our shady guy has been sending me these past weeks. He wants money and money and more money. And I, of course, won’t give him a single dollar again.”

As she talked, Debbie threw on the coffee table in the middle of the group said letters. The women leaned in to pick one up for each to read. The letters all followed certain patterns and styles. Different handwriting and different papers, to throw amateurs off. But an expert like Debbie could almost smell the soul behind the messages. They included everything from creepy rhymes, large sums of money, recounts of the expenses of any Ocean family member, and the occasional disturbing picture taken of Debbie from afar.

While they all looked over the letters and before Debbie continued with her speech, Constance picked up on Rose’s habits and raised her hand, though she didn’t wait for permission to start talking.

“So are we giving this guy a name? I feel like he’s probably a Dominic but you know, I wouldn’t mind if we called him Timmy or something.”

“No, no naming,” Debbie answered, “he doesn’t deserve it. He’s just… that guy. The money guy, if you will.”

She watched her team as they nodded distractedly. Their focus was clearly on the threatening pieces of paper. Debbie didn’t need them worrying about that, she needed their full attention. One loud clap of her hands and she had them back.

“Don’t worry about that. Focus on me. Remember how most of us met? Met Gala? A nice party. Well, I have a new party for you.” From the back pocket of her pants Debbie brought an envelope, a more formal and not so sketchy one. And from there she pulled out an invitation, a dark plum color. “I’ve been invited to the watchmaker’s birthday party. He’s the man that owns one of New York’s best spots for illicit business. He’s the one who bought my watch from Constance’s friend. He’s involved in so much trouble that he’s basically immune. And we are going to the party.”

Her announcement, the confidence that had finally returned to her body, everything was such a tempting offer, the seven women listening to her were suddenly leaning forward on their seats, exchanging excited looks and a few stories.

“He’s my family’s best client!” Amita exclaimed. “He will buy anything, he can sell everything, he knows everybody! Everybody.”

“Doesn’t make him any less of a rat, though.” Lou commented.

But it was confronted by Nine Ball’s addition, “Aren’t we all.”

“He’s friendly enough,” Tammy intervened. “He just does his thing. He buys, he sells, nothing is legal, but he does know everyone important in New York and he mostly stays out of people’s business.”

“Correct,” Debbie nodded and started pacing again. “He’s obviously friends with our friend,” she said, picking up one of her threatening letters, “so, I think the party will be a perfect meeting place for him and I.”

Now that raised some nervous looks from the women around. But Debbie was undeterred.

“Oh don’t act like babies now,” she waved them off. “It’s a party! We’ll be one hundred percent safe. Yes, it will be full of criminals, but I’ve been there in the past, everyone will be just talking, making friends, enemies, business. Nothing dangerous.”

Although skeptical, the women seemed to relax. Tammy was nodding along confidently, she had been at that party several times herself. Debbie’s idea wasn’t too bad, not really.

“This is the plan. I will go to the party and I’ll be taking with me… Tammy, a long time expert in the game; Amita, a professional in the business of faux jewelry; and Constance and her friend, the best of the best of New York’s pickpockets. That’s right Constance, you have a date. You’ve all met the watchmaker, right? Gone to the party?” The three subjects to the interrogation nodded affirmatively, Constance blushed. “I want Lou and Nine Ball on surveillance on the car nearby. There will be lots of sketchy black vans near that party, I’m sure. Last but not least, Daphne and Rose, you’re too famous for this party and I’ll need both of you to stay clean on the public eye. I have a special job for you both…”

Debbie finished her speech with a wink that had the couple giggling in excitement. Oh, she had them all back in the palm of her hand. They were all clearly excited, all on board for the job. The excitement was palpable. The group started discussing everything they had to do for the job. there were outfits to plan, backstories to review, mics to get ready, blueprints of the house of the party to memorize. Soon enough, Debbie dismissed the group and watched them leave and get lost around the house. She was smiling, she was breathing easier, she was excited. The fire in her eyes was back, but it wasn’t the delirious, desperate forest fire from the last time. This was Debbie Ocean’s excellence. A steady flame. Bright and controlled, powerful and smart.

Just as it was usual, Lou and Tammy stayed back with Debbie. The three of them smiling like they used to do many, many years ago. Admittedly, there was still some leftover nervousness in the air. They surely still had a lot to work out around their relationship, but this certainly looked like a step in the right direction.

“All good?” Debbie asked them.

Tammy nodded along excitedly, her eyes sparkling and her smile contagious. But Lou, Lou smiled conservatively and gave one severe nod of her head. Debbie knew that gesture very well. With a raise of her eyebrows she prompted her blonde lover to open up.

“That’s in then? You’re leaving me in the car?” Lou asked, apparently disappointed in her role on the plan. “I’m your partner, you know?” This made Tammy raise her eyebrows questioningly. “You know what I mean.” Thankfully, they could identify the traces of playfulness in her voice, but all she was saying, she meant it.

“I’m trying to protect you, please let me.” Debbie replied in all seriousness.

“This is not what I meant when I shared… all that.” Lou complained, “I didn’t want things to change.”

“I know, I know,” Debbie whispered, getting closer to Lou to tenderly brush her bangs out of her eyes and stroke her cheek. “I’ve put you at risk so many times. Let me keep you as safe as possible, just this one time. Until we find a new balance. We’ll be all happy again. This is important, okay?”

Lou took her time to answer, throwing her head back and looking skyward to think it through. Meanwhile, Debbie and Tammy shared two important reactions. One, they thought Lou’s slender neck looked gorgeous and sinfully tempting exposed like that, it made their breath hitch. Second, they smiled knowingly, reckless or not, Lou still loved the adrenaline and the risks of their job. They could fight it as much as they wanted to, but they were tied to this lifestyle.

“Fine,” Lou said, finally. “It’s fine, it’s a good plan. Let’s do it.” This made the three of them smile widely and Tammy didn’t waste a second to wrap her arms around Lou. “I’m only agreeing because I want to see Tammy dress up and nervously hang out with her old criminal friends.”

The shorter woman laughed fondly and looked up at her, “I know a lot of people,” she said, mischief glowing in her chocolate eyes.

“i know,” Lou couldn’t help but join in another laugh. She was well aware that Tammy was as adorable as she was genuinely dangerous. “I think I have more contacts, though.”

“Hello?” Debbie interrupted them. “Debbie _Ocean_ here. You girls seem to be forgetting my last name.”

In the end, they were all laughing, Debbie joined the hug and everything finally felt like falling into place, their relationship and their entire lives into the bigger picture, they were back in control, they were together, and this time they were invincible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited about updating!! I'm been going through a difficult time and it wasn't easy to even get internet connection but here she is!!  
> I really hope you guys liked this chapter! There's some really interesting things comingggg and also feel free to give me ideas and tell me things you'd like to see because technically i only have like 3 more chapters planned and then idk what they will do lmao  
> anyway thank you so much for reading and please leave your comments!


	22. The Meeting

Debbie watched from the door until the car that Daphne and Rose were driving was definitely out of sight. They had a very important job that day and she was trusting them everything. Eventually, she took a deep breath and walked inside the house. Pretty much enjoying the atmosphere that welcomed her. Everyone ecstatic and busy before her big plan started, it was like heaven for her.

“Just stand still for a second!” Tammy scolded Lou. She was trying to help the taller women with her earpiece and apparently Lou wasn’t cooperating. “God you’re like a little kid.”

Of course, Debbie couldn’t help but smile. It was obvious Lou was just going out of her way to annoy Tammy and they were both pretty much entertained by it. They were a second away from failing at holding back their smiles and… there it was. They broke into laughs and soon enough they were kissing each other.

On the other hand, Amita was doing a great job at preparing Constance friend for a day of working with Debbie’s team. The girl was named Nora, she was pretty, looked a little bit like Constance, had shorter hair and incredibly so, her eyes carried even more mischief than Constance’s. On her own, Amita was definitely getting more protective and confident with every passing day of her pregnancy. The father of the baby finally forgotten.

“Hey, Miss Ocean, where’s my new partner?” Lou asked as she approached Debbie, still playing dramatic with the fact that she was being kept slightly to the sidelines on this job.

“She’s already at the car, sniffing around all the new equipment she bought. Excited like a puppy,” Debbie laughed. “Is that okay with you, _Mrs. Ocean_?”

“Oh, I see what you did there,” Lou laughed and wrapped her arms around Debbie, “I like it.”

Debbie welcomed the kiss and everything that came with it. They really shouldn’t get carried away. Thankfully, they were interrupted by Tammy.

“Three Mrs. Ocean… That’s bound to get confusing sometimes.”

 

 

“ _She looks like a goddess._ ”

That was the first thought on at least eight different people that first caught sight of Debbie Ocean walking into the luxurious mansion where the birthday party for the watchmaker was being held. Eight had always been her lucky number. The place was everything it was supposed to be. Unnecessarily expensive, big and with extravagant decorations. It looked so impractical that Debbie, even if she hadn’t already been in his real home, would have instantly guessed there was no way the man actually lived there.

She was wearing her favorite black dress. In fact, it was the exact same outfit from the night after getting out of prison, when she visited Claude Becker and signed with destiny a contract stating she was getting her revenge on him. This felt pretty similar. But now she had fantastic company. And they were all ready to perfectly play their roles.

Amita was the first one to leave her side. It turned out her mother was at the party, and she had some strong opinions about her daughter showing up with an upcoming baby and no man at her side.

“Oh shit,” Debbie cursed, “should I go there? I should. Do you think she needs me?”

“It okay, Debs,” Tammy placed a hand on her arm, “It actually looks like she has it under control.”

And it was true. Amita was talking to her mother with a confidence they had never seen before. This wasn’t a brief fight of fleeting courage that the mother could easily win. No. Amita was confident and secure on her feet, she was standing her ground, she wasn’t backing down, she wasn’t moving on impulse, she was in control.

It was a great pride for Debbie. But when she turned around…

“Oh they ran off already?”

Tammy laughed. Of course Constance and her date wouldn’t waste a second in exploring the place and probably fill their pockets with other people’s possessions. Even though literally everyone there was involved in crime in some way or another. There weren’t better pickpockets in sight.

“At least you have me,” Tammy said, turning towards her with a bright smile.

“Actually,” Lou interrupted them their earpiece, “Tammy you gotta go make friends. And Debbie has a few… acquaintances making their way towards her.”

 

 

Meanwhile, in the van parked a street away from the party, Lou felt like caged tiger. And she was playing the part. She couldn’t stop pacing the small expanse at the back of the car, even though she couldn’t stand at her full height and her neck was starting to hurt.

“If you don’t stop that, I’m going to kick you out into the street,” Nine Ball complained from her place in front of a couple of computer screens.

Since this was a private house, not a museum, the group had to make a few adjustments in their technique. Although they all kept their earpieces, now they also carried miniature cameras hidden in their necklaces or buttons of their shirts.

“This is boring,” Lou complained, finally letting herself fall in one of the seats, “and I don’t trust anybody at that party.”

“Criminals, Yeah I got that. But so are we. Do you trust anyone at out house?”

Lou scoffed and bit back a remark about how it was technically her house and the rest had just refused to leave at some point.

“Yes. I mean, obviously not but… Are we all terrible people? Yes. Would I trust any of you with my life? Yes.”

Nine Ball’s instinct told her to laugh, but she genuinely felt the meaning of Lou’s words. So, she kept her chuckle to herself. Couldn’t hold back the comment, though.

“You’re getting too soft, Miller.”

“And I fucking hate it.”

They were silent for a few seconds, distracted by the images of Constance managing to pick up her second watch off a stranger’s wrist for that night. Before Lou could comment on the hilariously shocked expression on the face of Amita’s mom after being defied by her very pregnant daughter, she was called by Debbie’s voice.

“Lou, are you there?”

“I’m here. Everything okay?”

“Yes. This is just your reminder to not do anything stupid tonight.” Debbie said seriously, secretly delighted at the laugh she received from Lou. “Please.”

“Just for tonight.”

That seemed to ease Lou’s restlessness for a little while. Afterwards she focused on distracting herself with Nine Ball as they looked at the entertaining images from Constance’s camera, seeing how the woman actually managed to steal her third watch of the night.

 

 

If Tammy weren’t a pro at what she did, she might have been nervous. She was fulfilling her duty for the night and acting normal, talking with old friends and keeping an eye out for Debbie. She was surrounded by a group of people that did work similar to hers, taking up different real jobs to make up a facade and a connection for a bigger heist. For Debbie, Tammy had done much more than getting a job with Vogue for the Met Ball.

“I hated the circus!” Tammy complained in the middle of conversation, “that job was degrading.”

“But that always makes up for a fun character,” commented a girl that Tammy had befriended while they worked together in a back before robbing it, for Debbie.

“Fun, yes. But I had more fun sneaking into the Winter Olympics.”

“Was that the time you almost got caught?” The question came from an old friend that Tammy had seen working in at least four different museums before each one was unexpectedly robbed.

Tammy scoffed. “Please. I’ve never been caught! And I’ve worked for the NASA.”

The group laughed and some called Tammy a hero. She promised she would keep them updated if she ever went through with her goal of taking a shady job at the government. Then she excused herself for a moment with Debbie, who she found walking away from a middle-aged man that Tammy recognized as an old friend of the Ocean’s family. Someone who had worked with Debbie’s father and possibly her brother years ago.

Debbie was mildly laughing when they met, “He was so surprised to see me. Aw, I’ve missed him. He thought I was retired! Can you believe it?”

“No. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that.”

Well, that had Debbie biting her lip in order to stop herself from actually slapping her own face for her stupidity. Wasn’t retirement their longest argument ever? She considered trying to fix her mistake.

“Have you seen the others?” she asked instead.

“Yes,” Tammy sighed and shook the disappointment off of her to focus on the job at hand. “Amita finally got away from her mom and she’s been chatting with the watchmaker himself. Constance and Nora are doing all right, blending in, possibly making out in the bathroom, I don’t know.”

Debbie nodded along and her next words were discreetly directed at Lou who could hear her from her place in the car. “Any sightings of our guy?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’ve seen him in the background a couple of times. He definitely has his eye on you.”

The news left Debbie silent. She hadn’t seen him yet, but it was obvious he had seen her. It was unsettling. Maybe Lou couldn’t figure out as much from just her silence, but for Tammy who had Debbie’s suddenly vulnerable eyes in front of her, it was clear she wasn’t looking forward to the meeting.

“I say we regroup and wait for Amita’s signal,” Debbie declared, “Constance, I need you here, hurry up.”

The younger woman mumbled a complaint through the mic she carried and the group tried not laugh too much at the obvious interruption they had caused. Speaking of interruptions, one more long-time friend of the Ocean family approached Debbie and Tammy right then.

“Debbie! Why didn’t you tell me you were here? And with your _friend_. Tammy, is it?” They exchanged hugs and pleasantries, but the man apparently wasn’t done. “This is lovely. That you both are still together. Young love!” he cheered them on, because he still looked at them as if they were teenagers eavesdropping on the meetings Debbie’s father had at their home.

Debbie politely nodded along, but she definitely heard Lou’s coughing over the earpiece.

“I knew you two would end up together, I just knew! Your brother always said so, Debbie, he knew Tammy was _the one_.”

It was true Debbie had heard those kinds of comments for many years, when her and Tammy were still kids and pretty much inseparable. But hearing the concept now was a strange experience. Tammy looked just as caught of guard, a soft “Oh” escaping her lips. She turned to Debbie for guidance.

Then they heard Lou’s voice again, “Anything you’d like to mention Debbie? Something missing in that equation?” the harsh edge in her voice palpable.

“Yes, well, Tammy and I should go…”

“Oh don’t let me keep you two lovebirds! And if you want advice from an old man that knew your dad very well,” he leaned in to whisper to Debbie and tragically also sound more clear on the mic, “Don’t wait too long for marriage, not if you’ve found your _soulmate_! The one and only!”

He finally walked away then, looking pleased and dreamy, an old man endeared by his idea of real love. Sadly, he left both women more than slightly uncomfortable.

“Lou?” Debbie asked, “Lou are you there?” They only heard silence from the earpiece.

“Lou?” Tammy tried and received the same treatment.

Finally, Nine Ball had mercy on them, “She took off her earpiece. She’s still here. All good.”

Although Tammy looked positively worried, Debbie looked angered.

“Well, let her know that there are people here that wouldn’t need to be asked twice for a chance to beat her up to death. I don’t care if her feelings are hurt as long as she’s safe.”

Done with that statement, Debbie started walking away, hoping to act normal for the rest of the party. Tammy followed her with determination shining in her brown eyes.

“You know I could have taken down anybody that tried to hurt her,” she whispered. That pulled a small smile from Debbie, but when the brunette tried to protest, Tammy gently grabbed her shoulder and stared deeply into her eyes. “We are safe, we are a team, and we have to act like it.” she said, hoping the words really reached Debbie’s stubborn mind that tried to protect them all even against their own will.

“We will,” Debbie finally agreed, “Now let’s get this over with.”

They turned and looked around the room just in time to see Constance and her friend approaching them from one side of the room and Amita making a signal from the other side, the watchmaker guiding her to a private room where the meeting they all had been waiting for was about to go down.

 

 

Back in the black car, Lou had turned silent and perfectly still, the tension radiating off of her. She was no longer pacing the room like a caged tiger, this was more serious, she was genuinely upset. Which made Nine Ball even more curious about Debbie’s words.

“What did she mean?” she asked Lou.

“About what? I stopped listening.”

“About there being people that would hurt you at the party.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been working with the great Debbie Ocean for many years and I tend to be a bit less delicate in my ways, so over the years I’ve upset a big number of people.” Lou explained. Getting all that off her chest apparently was helping relieving some big issue, because unlike what she’d usually do, she kept talking. “I was the outsider from Australia who showed up out of nowhere and stole Debbie from the hands of these old school criminals and the Ocean’s traditions and… _Tammy_. Everyone liked Tammy much more than me. They were a match made in heaven, or hell, in this case. They were going to link two powerful families, they were going to conquer New York. But they broke up. People blamed it on me. Debbie lost her dad and her brother and all these old guys wanted to, do whatever a protective person would have done. I don’t know, I’m not making any sense I just-”

However, Lou wouldn’t have time to finish. She was distracted in the darkest corner of her mind and Nine Ball was distracted trying to be there for her friend. They didn’t get to see the threat that was coming at them at full speed.

 

 

For a brief moment, Debbie allowed herself to revel in the comfort of the royalty-worthy dining room chair of the watchmaker’s house. She stretched her neck, looked at her sides to feel the support of her friends sitting at the table with her, and then made a show of being surprised at the sight in front of her.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed with fake shock, “someone let a stray dog sit at the table!” she signaled to the person in front of her. The man who had been making her life unnecessarily difficult and who she was determined to stop that night.

“Hello Debbie,” he said with a slow smile, “It’s been a long time. It’s nice to see you, you look wonderful. How you’ve been?”

“We either start talking business or I let Tammy escort you out of the building with a knife against your throat again.”

Debbie was a master of her emotions. She looked perfectly bored, in control and with the upper hand in the entire situation. This man, however, stole a glance at Tammy and despite his best efforts he visibly shivered. In the past, he might have made a miscalculation. Debbie was untouchable as long as she had that group of extraordinary women supporting her. But even Debbie Ocean had to have a weakness.

“Your brother, Debbie, owed us a lot, a lot of money,” he sighed, “he could fake his death to get out of all the trouble he was in, but he made the foolish mistake of losing his stupid watch. We know he’s out there, we don’t need you to keep paying for his mistakes. Just lead us to him and we can leave all this behind us.”

He made what Debbie thought was a ridiculous gesture with his arm signaling the entire situation they were in. He was disgusting, she thought. He didn’t do any valuable work, he didn’t do any work at all. He only spent his days sitting in one of his sketchy buildings giving orders, lending money, making stupid deals and being too lucky for his own good. He hadn’t earned his reputation like the watchmaker, the Oceans, or anybody in Debbie’s team.

“Danny is dead. And you’re not getting another penny from my family. The sooner you understand this the better.”

“ _No!_ You have to understand this won’t be over until he pays me!”

“He’s gone!” Debbie retorted, her voice wavering in the slightest way, “I’m here as a small mercy for you. Letting you know it’s over before you get yourself in too much trouble.”

“I want my money Debbie!” The vehemence of the statement pushed him out of his chair. He was red in the face and he slammed his hands on the table. “I won’t leave you or these women alone until I get it!”

Debbie and her team didn’t even flinch. Which, of course, made him all the more furious. His temper was raising quickly, but Debbie was taking her sweet time. She pulled out her phone and opened the messages she received just in time from Daphne and Rose.

“I hear you have a nice building working on your counterfeit money and money laundering, am I right?” she asked him calmly.

“Are you threatening me, Debbie?” he replied, his voice trembling with anger and undisguisable fear, “we are not snitches, are we? That would be going too far.”

Debbie sighed, swiping past the picture of a kiss between Daphne and Rose that for some reason they also decided to send her. Then she settled on the picture she wanted to show him.

“You have no idea how far I’d go for the peace and safety of my family. All of it”

Without losing her serenity, she pushed her phone towards him. Then she watched in delight how his face transformed from anger to absolute horror as he made sense of the image in front of him. His precious building where his most successful business ran, was up in flames. All of it. A giant pyre that just at a glance revealed it wouldn’t leave any salvageable earnings.

He clearly underestimated once again how mighty and capable Debbie Ocean was. However, it wasn’t over. It seemed that against all odds, Debbie also made a miscalculation. She didn’t know how low this man was willing to go. 

Instead of throwing a tantrum and maybe even crying as Debbie had predicted he would, after the shock of the news the man regained control of himself and calmed down if only a little.

“Fine,” he said. His voice was now trembling with the shock of loss and Debbie almost felt bad about the rollercoaster of emotion she had put him through in such a short time. “You don’t have to give me any money then.” He wasn’t over, though. He extended a hand and one of the shady guys that accompanied him placed a radio on his open palm. He pressed a button and talked into it. “Do you have them?” he asked.

“Yeah. Two of them.” a voice from the radio replied.

“Get rid of the other one. But make sure the blonde one suffers. Tell her it’s _Debbie’s fault_.”

Time stopped. All air left her lungs. And when the words finally registered in her mind, an indescribable cold filled her body from head to toe. Despite all her efforts…

She turned to her right and watched Amita’s horror stricken face and Constance with a finger pressing on her earpiece, shaking her head and mouthing “ _nothing_ ”, there was nothing coming to them from Nine Ball and Lou. Debbie then turned to her left and met Tammy’s eyes, her own panic reflected identically in them. She felt helpless and paralyzed unlike she had ever been.

Eventually it was Tammy’s gentle hand tugging at her arm what brought her out of the haze.

“We have to run,” Tammy said, determination taking over fear.

Debbie nodded and rushed out of the room. She did get to sneak a last glance at the man that was going out of her way to turn her life into a nightmare. He was sweating and undoubtedly feeling the loss of his business, but he was smiling smugly at her. She didn’t care. There was no need for another threat or having the last word. Debbie had only one priority in that moment and it wasn’t in there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhhh clifhanger
> 
> i hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll try to update soon so you won't have to be worried for too long
> 
> also yes sorry I'm not good with names so Constance's girlfriend is literally awkwafina's name lol that also might explain why the bad guy doesn't have a name either
> 
> thanks for reading!! please let me know what you think


	23. Better Than Ever

“What’s that?!”

Those were the only words that Nine Ball managed to let out, interrupting Lou’s heartfelt speech and warning with barely a second of anticipation the terrible crash that soon got to them.

Another black van that ironically looked exactly like theirs came moving at full speed towards them and hit them in just the right angle to violently turn the entire vehicle upside down along with the both women inside.

Nine Ball’s vision blurred. At first it was the actual chaotic movement that threw her upside down. But when she realized everything finally stilled again, the world was still somewhat blurry. Then, three things registered at once. First sharp pain on her torso. Second, an overwhelming weight on top of her, pinning her down on her stomach on the floor, or what she’d soon realize was the top of the car. Three,

“Nine Ball! Are you okay?!” Lou shouting at her. “Nine Ball!”

The hacker managed to focus her eyes on Lou’s worried expression as she kneeled in front of her. Before she had a moment to even figure out if she could speak, the door to the van was forced open and Lou was dragged out of it. It was just like a nightmare.

 

 

Debbie was running, not caring who followed her. She was cursing herself for letting Lou park so far from the actual party. She was running towards the spot where the van should be, where she’d find Lou and Nine Ball safe and sound. She was running, and right after rounding the last corner, she felt she was drowning.

When she caught sight of the car turned upside down, one of her hands flew to hold her stomach, because she suddenly felt sick and couldn’t exactly be sure where the pain was located inside of her. She stopped in the spot and her eyes couldn’t move away from the thin smoke that was coming off that thing. Tammy, bless her, much more in control of her emotions even in the toughest of situations, ran straight towards the vehicle and started looking for… their friends.

Soon enough, Amita, Constance and even Nora joined Tammy. But their attempts seemed utterly futile. There was not a single person inside the car. Debbie was sure she wasn’t breathing anymore. Her brain still didn’t catch up. Luckily. Because otherwise she would have reacted much more violently when an unexpected hand grabbed her shoulder.

Only a small cry escaped Debbie’s lips and that was enough to alert the entire team. They all turned around abruptly and stared in shock and relief at Nine Ball. Their friend was standing there, looking like a mess, with a few small cuts on her arms and face, and clearly putting all her weight on one foot, she’d probably limp if she tried to walk. They all collectively made a move to go towards her, maybe hug her, but she visibly flinched. She was holding an arm around herself, as if trying to physically keep herself together.

“Nina Ball,” Debbie sighed, “Are you okay? Where’s Lou? What happened? Where’s _Lou_?” Debbie’s desperation grew with each question.

“They crashed our car and…” she nodded towards the upside-down vehicle, “the entire equipment fell on top of me. They dragged Lou out of there and I don’t know, assumed I was _dead_? I don’t know where they went. But I don’t think they took their car.”

Effectively, that’s when the rest of the women noticed the identical black van hastily parked a little further away. There was nobody in sight, though.

In that moment, something finally clicked in Debbie’s mind. Everything was much clearer, everything came into focus, and she was ready to do whatever it takes to get Lou back.

“Okay, then, I have no time to lose. You all stay here. Nine Ball, try to track her down and keep me updated okay?” Debbie looked around her team and, besides Tammy who had no doubt would be following her, they all seemed ready to disagree. “No arguing! Nine Ball is hurt, Amita is pregnant, Nora, no offence but we've barely met, you don't have to do this, and Constance… Constance... I wouldn’t forgive myself if you got hurt…”

“Tough luck. You can’t stop me.”

“I’m _done_ putting my family in danger!”

“Well, that’s too bad,” a different voice interrupted them. _Daphne_.

That’s how the entire group finally turned around to see that Daphne and Rose had arrived a minute ago and quickly eavesdropped enough information.

“This is what you do for family, Debbie.” Rose added with kindness.

There wasn’t time to take note of soft feelings and affection, though. An instant later, Tammy was pulling on Debbie’s arm and they were on their way.

 

 

Debbie was grateful that Nine Ball and Amita were rational enough to not follow them. However, she was deeply regretting not bringing any guns with her that night. She had Tammy, of course, she was a basically a weapon all on her own. But Debbie had a bad feeling about the entire situation. Something was off. She couldn’t say exactly what, but her instinct was warning her of something big.

They ran around for a minute until it was Constance who caught sight of something shining on the ground across the street. It turned out it was Lou’s lighter. They only thing they had to track her position. This put Debbie’s nerves on a level they had never been before. She didn’t have a second to dwell on her fear and instead she ran onwards, until she spotted something.

Leaning against the wall of an alley for support, trying to stand up and falling, there was a man. Acting on instinct and highly doubting she was wrong, Debbie ran towards him and easily knocked him down. He didn’t get a chance to recover and make sense of the woman in the fancy black dress towering over him, when Tammy already pushed a knee to his stomach, pulled out her switchblade and held the sharp edge against his throat.

“I really, _really_ wouldn’t mind cutting your throat. So just stay still and tell us where is she? Where did they took her?”

The man stuttered for a moment and his eyes filled with tears, from pain or from fear, and then he pointed onwards, “Over there, they - they went over there. She was too - too strong and then he help her and - they - they went over there.”

Before standing up and chasing after Debbie who was already on the move in the direction he pointed at, Tammy took a moment to quickly tear a piece of his shirt with her knife as if it was nothing. It didn’t hurt to leave his as humanly scared as possible.

Debbie kept running and the next time she found a man laying on the ground beaten down, she didn't stop. A trail of defeated men left behind seemed like something a lot like Lou. Debbie continued to run and she felt her team with her. She could sense Constance determination to save one of her “moms”, she could feel Daphne and Rose risking their lives like they never had before, for their family, for the two members they had to leave behind, for Lou. Specially, she was hyper aware of Tammy’s presence beside her. Tammy, holding the only weapon they had, the switchblade that could save Lou and maybe all their lives if it came to it.

The moment finally arrived, when they reached the last corner, when they heard voices ahead, the sound of a body falling down, the deep laugh of a man who succeeded at taking down… another man.

The scene in front of her was so shocking that Debbie was tempted to roll her eyes at the sheer amount of twists and turns that night threw at her. Lying unconscious on the ground was the last man they were looking for, the one who had hurt Lou the most. Lou, who was resting her entire weight against a wall. She was alive and that was what mattered the most, but she was clearly about to join her attacker on the ground. So, who had intervened to save Lou’s life?

“What would you do without me?” Danny Ocean laughed in his confident and charming manner of always as he shrugged in a way of greeting to his stunned sister.

His words, however, weren’t quick enough to reach the ears of the rest of the women that arrived in the scene. Tammy’s eyes registered the sight of a man standing tall and Lou falling down and her reflex were unstoppable. Her knife was in the air way before she comprehended she was about to stab Debbie’s brother.

Luckily for Danny, Tammy is not one to end things quickly in cases like those. She aimed for his leg and when the knife reached him, he cried out in pain and fell to his knees. That’s when Tammy realize what just happened and her hand flew to her mouth in surprise.

Debbie tried to react, to do or say something, but she simply couldn’t. Her brother, who a minute ago she believed to be dead, was kneeling on the ground with a knife wound made by her lover, even though he had just saved the life of their other lover, who was crumbling down against the wall of a dark alley of New York. A sigh escaped Debbie’s lips and she looked up at the sky trying to take control of her own mind. Her eyes found the full moon that was shining over them and she smiled involuntarily. The things that moon has seen, she thought.

 

 

Lou woke up at home, in her bed. She woke up with a start, gasping for air as if she had been underwater. Those were tale tell signs she was just having a nightmare, but she couldn’t remember whatever it was. Maybe it was just a memory. Real life. In any way, all that she registered was the familiar comfort of being at home, being in the arms of the love of her life.

“Are you okay?” Debbie whispered, cradling her face in her hands.

She’s so beautiful, Lou thought as she slowed down her breathing. Then she took note of her surroundings and herself. Most of her body was aching, but in a hazy manner. She felt drowsy, probably on painkillers. She had been dragged out of the car by three men that worked for the money guy Debbie was on a meeting with. They dragged her down several streets and alleys and there was not a single second during which she wasn’t putting up a fight. She left two men in the ground, she smiled at that, before she couldn’t keep holding herself up. That’s when Danny showed up. But that was too overwhelming to analyze at the moment. Instead, her smile widened when she focused on the comfort of her bed and Debbie’s arms.

“You know, I think usually patients are left to rest on their beds alone,” she told Debbie.

“I won’t even go along with that joke. I refuse to leave you alone ever again. You’re kind of a magnet for trouble. Have I ever told you that?”

“You actually have!” Lou laughed, “Soon after we met, remember? We didn’t just leave Las Vegas, we were escaping.”

“Yeah, I remember! You blew up our cover because a man hit on me.”

“What can I say, I knew since the moment I saw you that someday you would be mine.”

“ _Forever yours_ ,” Debbie whispered, right before placing her lips as softly as possible on Lou’s forehead. The kiss was so tender it nearly brought tears to their eyes.

They certainly stopped talking at least. They feared one more word would bring their emotions tumbling out of them. Besides, everything that could be said, they already knew. Everything was clear in their eyes. All their love, their worry, their regret, their promises, all they risked and almost lost that night.

They were briefly distracted by the door of the room being opened timidly and Tammy’s head poking in, scared at first, widely grinning the next.

“You’re awake!” she whispered, “you’re awake, you’re awake, you’re awake.”

Tammy rushed in and quickly sat down on the side of the bed, but then she seemed paralyzed, as if afraid of moving an inch. Debbie and Lou stayed still, kindly waiting for her. Eventually Tammy moved her hand very slowly towards Lou’s face. Her touch was so light, it was barely there, but it made Lou blush. Tammy bit her lip, knowing she wasn’t like her two girls, she wouldn’t be so good at holding back her tears.

“Please don’t cry,” Lou begged her in whisper, “you know it kills me.”

“Can I kiss you?” Tammy asked in a shaky voice.

Lou nodded immediately and closed her eyes in anticipation, she was afraid if she looked at Tammy for too long she’d actually start crying. The kiss, when it finally happened, was so soft, so tender and slow, so very special.

When she pulled away, Tammy’s eyes were sparkling with tears and something deeper that could only be identified as love. Her smile was growing with each second and she stared down at Lou as if she couldn’t believe they were there. “I’m so happy you’re okay,” she breathed.

Then, as if she couldn’t control her happiness any longer, she looked at Debbie. Her smile was contagious. Debbie started smiling as well and before she knew it, Tammy was kissing her. It was equally as perfect in a whole new way. Tammy, however, wasn't done. Love and happiness were overflowing from her. She moved to kiss Lou again for good measure. When she ended the kiss she started giggling and the other two women followed along. Everything felt right and beautiful and they had no reason to hold back their emotions.

When they settled down and got their emotions on hold, Tammy sighed contently and placed her hands on her lap. “You’re all good, then. Right?” she asked Lou.

“Yes,” she nodded, “just a couple punches. It’s going to leave a bruise, but I’ll be fine.” She was completely downplaying the several cuts and scrapes that decorated her skin. That was common with her, though, as much as it pain the other two women.

“I think Danny got the worst of it,” Tammy laughed timidly, “sorry about that, by the way,” she told Debbie.

Debbie scoffed, “Don’t be,” she shook her head, “If I have had a knife I would have done the same thing… Maybe don’t give a knife for a few days.”

The trio laughed, because they knew she meant it. “How is he doing?” Lou wondered.

“He’ll be fine,” Tammy assured them. “He’s been asking about his _sister_ , though. Debbie, don’t you think you should go talk to your _brother_?”

“No, not really.”

“Debbie.”

“Not yet.”

Debbie groaned and leaned back into the pillows, closing her eyes. She was just not ready. There was a lot going on in her mind. A lot to consider. She opened her eyes again when she felt someone squeezing her hand.

“It’ll be fine,” Tammy said with a smile.

“We got you,” Lou added.

In that moment, Debbie believed them. As long as the three of them were together, of course everything would be fine.

 

 

It’s been about five years since Debbie didn’t hug her older brother, but being in Danny’s arms, she realized not a lot had changed. She felt safe, she felt at home, and she felt the urge to strangle him. That wasn’t something too strange among siblings, Debbie reminded herself, even less so between Ocean children. But, she also knew, this time was different. Danny had crossed all the lines.

They were standing outside Lou’s place, hoping for a little privacy. She stepped back and finally took a good look at him. He had aged, so had she. She had been in prison, he probably retired to somewhere idyllic. But she couldn’t shake off the fact that he looked a little more worn-down than she did. Regardless, personality wise he seemed exactly the same.

“I’m happy to see you’re alive,” she told him seriously. He could read her perfectly.

“Did you seriously think I died?” he laughed.

“No! I did not!” she scoffed. “Not at first, at least. But then, months passed, you didn’t send a single clue. And all this mess began and you didn’t have the decency to…”

“I knew you could handle it.”

“You could have let me know you were _alive_!” Debbie raised her voice a little. She was trying and succeeding to hide how emotional this all was to her by playing on the genuine anger she felt.

“Debbie! Come on! We’ve barely reunited. Can’t this all just wait?” Danny laughed nonchalantly.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Please.”

“I have questions, Danny.”

“Please. Not yet. Let’s hang out. Introduce me to all your little accomplices.”

They’re my family, Debbie wanted to say. But it was best to just go along with it and humor Danny for a while until she could get all the answers she wanted from him. After all, he was right. Maybe those things could wait. She had just found her brother, he had saved Lou’s life, and it was really late. Really late, Debbie realized, when they walked in and found most of her team asleep, scattered around all the surfaces of the house. As they waived through them and towards a spare bedroom for Danny, Debbie gave him a brief introduction of her team before they all had real conversations the next day.

“Okay so, you know Amita. She’s pregnant now. This one’s Nine Ball, remarkable hacker. I will tell you her real name is Leslie, just to annoy her. These two are Rose and Daphne. Yes, Daphne Kluger, the famous actress, and her fashion designer girlfriend. Very in love.” The sibling walked past all of them, Debbie took note of how Daphne seemed to smile even in her sleep whenever Rose would snore as she slept. “That one’s Constance, the youngest. We’re supposed to believe she’s a grown adult woman but,” Debbie shrugged. “Don’t be alarmed if she call me, Lou and Tammy, moms.”

“Right. Your ladies,” Danny smiled at her, “How are you doing in the love department, Debbie?”

She hesitated. There were a million possible answers that covered everything between “ _it’s not your damn business, you were dead two hours ago,_ ” and “ _good, but we still need to figure out a lot of things, please give me your advice_.” She settled for honesty, but without showing all her cards.

“Better than ever,” she answered, simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!  
> What did you think??? Did you see that coming??? Did you like it???  
> Okay now I have two options... in my original plan, I could end this fic in like one or two chapters more. But! I jsut got a bunch of ideas and omg this could actually get dark and angsty I think. I don't know, but I think I'm going to go for that if you guys want to keep reading so... let me know what you think will happen, what you want to see, whatever  
> Thanks for reading!! :)


	24. Still Danny

The first thing Debbie did after waking up wasn’t, as she planned, checking on Lou. She trusted Lou would be fine, also asleep. Instead, she found herself rushing through the quiet hallway straight into the spare room where Danny spent the night.

“Fucking empty!” she whispered angrily, but not surprised in the slightest.

She knew the drill. She knew her brother. The little part of her that had gone through that exact scenario countless of times while growing up, holding on to naive hope that her brother with stay at home after a job? She tamed that part of her when she became an adult. But this time? That part of her was simply dead.

She took the time to walk around the house to make sure he wasn’t just in the bathroom or something. She didn’t want him to eavesdrop when she would inevitably complain to her new family about him. It wasn’t like she was hoping she’d get another hug, another word, an actual goodbye from the brother she hadn’t seen in years and had started to believe was genuinely dead… No, of course it wasn’t that. She wasn’t a little girl anymore

That internal debate distracted Debbie enough that she let out a small scream when she walked into the kitchen area and found somebody already standing there.

“Tammy! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Tammy shrugged halfheartedly.

“Can you believe Danny left?! He’s not in his room, he’s not anywhere in the house, he’s gone! Am I surprised? Of course not! I mean, he always does this, you know? Of course you know. You remember, right? This is what he does. He disappears, I worry, he comes back, I’m overjoyed, he disappear again. Do you remember the time it happened right on my seventeenth birthday, Tammy?”

As Debbie launched herself into a detailed recount of something she was “obviously over it”, she failed to notice a few important things about Tammy’s demeanor. The downcast eyes, the slight downwards tilt of her lips, her overall silence on the subject. Eventually, Debbie finished her argument on why everything was her father’s fault and why it was up to her as a woman to finally do better to the Ocean last name. And Tammy finished her second cup of coffee. Strangely so, that was exactly that brought Debbie out of her monologue.

“Wait, was that black coffee?” she wondered, looking over the counter and putting the pieces together. “Two cups of black coffee in the morning? You never do that, Tammy. Is something-”

“I talked to Danny. Before he left.”

“You did? What did he say?”

“He said he’s coming back later today.”

Tammy’s words were emotionless and this time Debie did notice, but with a sigh she yielded into her most urgent concern.

“Really?” she asked, and then to cover any hint of hopefulness she scoffed added “and you believe him?”

That question seemed to affect Tammy a little too intensely. Her eyes revealed how troubled she was and when she spoke her words were strained. “He is your brother,” she said, as if that would answer anything Debbie had asked her, but it also sounded like a question thrown back at Debbie.

“He is. He is my brother, yes. And I love him,” Debbie stated, “I trust that in the long run he has good intentions. And that if it came to it, I guess I would trust him my life blindly. But… he’s still Danny. He’s lies upon lies, schemes over schemes, never truthful, never completely honest. I just… are we still even talking about him leaving?”

Afterwards, the silence stretched for a few seconds. Debbie couldn’t shake the impression that they were both looking for answers on each other’s eyes and coming up empty. It was Tammy who broke the silence.

“Can we just ignore this for today?” she sighed and continued with an unsteady voice, “can we just relax and enjoying each other’s company after finishing this one job that almost, _almost_ turned out so badly?”

This time Debbie was silent for a whole different reason. She was speechless and she was only capable of springing into action when she noticed the first signs of tears clouding Tammy’s sweet eyes. Who would guess that was the same woman that kind of stabbed her brother the previous night?

“Hey, come here,” Debbie whispered and opened her arms, into which Tammy fell instantly, “it’s okay, baby. She’s fine. She’s upstairs, in bed. I won’t let anything bad happen to her, okay? She likes to play tough but we can protect her, right?”

Tammy nodded against Debbie’s chest and sniffled. She stepped back and wiped away the pair of tears that had escaped her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just stressed, I think.”

“It’s okay. No need to apologize,” Debbie said and kissed Tammy’s forehead. Then she gently grabbed her hand and led her towards Lou’s bedroom. “Let’s go. Let’s check on Lou and hope one of our children makes breakfast today.” This made them both chuckle.

“Oh, you mean the old routine where Daphne complains dramatically of starving until Rose makes one attempt to please her and cook something but turns the kitchen into a mess?”

“Then Rose offers Constance twenty dollars if she goes out and buys breakfast for us all?”

“And Constance accepts! Super happy to win some extra money even if she has millions in the bank?”

Debbie and Tammy laughed along as they walked. Debbie with one arm wrapped tightly and comfortingly around Tammy’s shoulders and one very important thought overpowering the rest: This is family.

 

That night before dinner, the entire group was still discussing the highlights of the previous night. The group included Nora, who was joining them for dinner, and a very sleepy Lou on pain medication.

“So I pulled out my phone to show him the picture of his little building in flames,” Debbie was rettelling her meeting on the watchmaker’s party, “of course, the first picture I see is a selfie between these two lovebirds.” She nodded towards Daphne, who looked overly proud, and Rose, who blushed and further cuddled to Daphne’s side.

“Yeah I saw the picture. It was hot.” Lou added, raising her glass of water as in a toast for them.

This made everyone at the table laugh and Tammy who was playing with Lou’s hair asked her amusedly, “are you okay?”

“I am very sleepy and shit, but it’s nothing I wouldn’t say sober.”

“Lou! God, stop flirting with me,” Daphne laughed. “I mean, I get it, obviously. But stop it!” everyone continued to laugh and then Daphne proceed to retell how exactly their side of the past night unfolded. “It was seriously awesome guys. I’ve been in spy movies before, but it was _nothing_ like this! Rose and I in that car, flying through the streets. The wind messing her already messy hair. The sunset reflecting on my sunglasses…”

“Can you go to the point?” Nine Ball intervened.

“Uh, boring!” Daphne defended her antics.

“It’s okay, darling,” Rose kissed the back of Daphne’s hand that she was holding and attempted her version of a summary of the events. “Right, so, we got there, and we followed your instructions, Debbie. It did smell a lot like gasoline, that part was not very nice. And then I pulled the fire alarm, right? In case there was people in there. And Daphne tells me no, we don’t have to warn the bad guys. And I say well, we don’t want to kill anybody. And she says babe, no, there’s nobody there, that’s why we’re here. And I say oh! Right! Right…”

At that point, Amita turns to Debbie with amusement tears brimming in her eyes, “I can’t, I just can’t.” In fact, hardly anyone present could contain their laughter.

When Rose dived into an explanation of how that fire was going to inspire a dress she was designing for Daphne, Nora stood up from the table to grab a glass of water and Constance took the chance to whisper excitedly to her friends.

“Guys! Guys! What did you think of her? Isn’t she hot? She’s british and she’s awesome and she’s-”

“One hundred percent out of your league?” Nine Ball teased her.

“Hey!”

Again, everyone laughed at the bickering between them, but Debbie was troubled by a memory. She wasn’t exactly Daphne Kluger, but she was really good at remembering faces, and Nora’s face was familiar, and Debbie was finally connecting the dots. When Nora sat back at the table, Debbie posed her question.

“Nora, can I ask you something? Have you ever met a man named Claude Becker?” she asked, and the simple name made everyone at the table cringe at the memory, some more than others.

“Yeah… He’s… very annoying, oh my _God_. But I did visit his gallery when it opened.”

Everyone looked shocked, but Debbie only hummed appreciatively. She remembered that face, speaking to Claude the moment she walked into the gallery and locked eyes with him for the first time since he put her in prison.

“You weren’t there as a friend or anything,” Debbie stated, didn’t ask, “you were trying to rob him.”

“I did get his watch.”

Once more: laughs distributed all over the group.

When the jokes were left behind in order to discuss the most serious subject of what to get for dinner, a knock on the door interrupted their debate. Concerned looks were exchanged and Debbie knew the answer in her heart, but before she decided if it was a good or bad thing that Danny was back, she had was already opening up the door for him.

“I brought dinner!” Danny enthusiastically announced after kissing his sister’s cheek when walking past her.

He had a few pizza boxes in his arms and a delivery boy was left standing on the door with more boxes.

“That’s too much for us,” Debbie said upon arriving to the table.

“Speak for yourself!” Constance interrupted her, a slice already in one hand.

The group quickly accommodated everything for dinner, and for Danny, and for Debbie’s change of mood. Debbie was observing her brother with the same kind of attention she used to analyze a scene before pulling out a big move during a heist. However, it was barely necessary. Just with his greeting she could form an idea of what exactly was going on with Danny. He acted cheerful, which could mean he was trying to cover a more somber situation. But something in his behavior, how he jumped straight for dinner and didn’t ask to talk with her privately, suggested he was genuinely… happy. Which isn’t something to take lightly. Danny most likely just came out of a business meeting that left him overjoyed, which bothered Debbie for quite a few reasons. One, it meant Danny was back in business. Two, some people actually had known Danny was alive, people who weren’t Debbie. Three, whether the meeting was positive or not, _fuck_ , Danny was back in the business and that couldn’t be good for Debbie.

Despite Debbie’s worries, the meal looked like it was going to be a success. Danny was naturally charming and confident in a way that was parallel to Debbie’s personality. The familiarity earned the trust and affection of most of the women present very quickly. Soon enough they were joking about Constance probably dreaming of an autograph by Danny Ocean on the times she was just another pickpocket of New York. And even teasing Danny about a comment Debbie made of his brother have a crush on the famous actress, Daphne Kluger. Daphne reacted gracefully as always, an expert at dealing with those situations. Rose, on the other hand, wasn’t so fond of those jokes and reacted jealous and protective in her own way, which was a delight for Daphne. That was, until in her impulsive jealousy, Rose even got to mention the word “marriage” and both of them turned adorably flustered.

By the time most of them had finished their third slice of pizza, Lou made the decision that she couldn’t bear to finish that first slice that she had been playing with for the last few minutes. She was looking down at her plate, quiet and when an involuntary sigh escaped her lips, Debbie finally noticed. She placed a hand in Lou’s back and whispered “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but I’m think I’m a little dizzy on those painkillers, you know?” Lou attempted to smile, and when it didn’t work she cleared her throat and slowly stood up from her seat. “I think I’m going to go lay down for a while.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Debbie quickly offered, but Lou didn’t accept it.

“No, no. I’t okay. I’m fine, really. I just need a nap. You guys have fun,” she added, addressing the entire table and after a pause she stared at Danny, “feel at home,” she told him with the most genuine smile she could muster under the circumstances and the secret layers that were starting to take a toll on her.

Debbie sighed and watched in worry as Lou slowly walked away. Then she felt Tammy lean in to her and whisper, “I’m going with her, don’t worry,” Tammy announced, “and you can talk to Danny after dinner.

Watching both loves of her life walking away from the lively dinner the rest of her family was having pained Debbie. She was left feeling desperate to go join them. But she understood that it would be impolite to just leave her brother alone with a group of people he was just meeting. Beside, she had no trouble admitting that although he certainly brought trouble with him wherever he went, Danny’s presence was a welcome joy. She loved him and had missed him tremendously, and even in the worst of times, she knew that Danny encapsulated only her favorite traits of the Ocean family. She adored him and she was sincerely enjoying his presence at her new home. In fact, Danny’s presence was so bright and distracting that even though Debbie took brief notice of the fact that Lou had barely touched her food, she didn’t see that Tammy had eaten about the same, if not less. In her case, the lack of appetite couldn’t be attributed to painkillers or physical exhaustion. Had she seen it, Debbie wouldn’t have had any trouble in identifying her girlfriend was anxious beyond relief.

 

When Tammy walked into Lou’s bedroom, the blonde woman was just sitting down in bed, letting her head hang and covering her face with both hands.

“Are you okay?” Tammy asked softly, opting to stay up, standing in front of her.

“I just have a headache,” Lou mumbled.

“And that’s not a coincidence.”

Tammy’s statement made Lou look up alarmed. “No. I was just beaten down by three men last night. Why would I have a headache?” However, this had the opposite effect to what Lou had imagined. Tammy only smiled fondly at her attempt of deflecting.

“This is about Danny,” Tammy confidently pointed out.

“I am happy Danny is here,” Lou said slowly, with strong emphasis on each word.

“But…”

“Nothing!”

“You can tell me!”

“There’s nothing to tell!”

“Please,” Tammy insisted, “I need to know it’s not just me.”

“What?” Lou asked, suddenly her mind had turned, “what do you mean?”

This got Tammy to finally walk over and sit down, grab Lou’s hand, “I asked first,” she said. “What exactly happened last night, Lou? When… How did Danny arrive?”

With such a serious subject, Lou took her time to answer. The silence felt suffocating. It had been killing her not to share… but was there really something to share?

“I don’t know, Tammy, I’m not sure.” Lou sighed. “Those guys really got me. I thought I could beat that last one but I was almost passing out… We were fighting, then he was screaming for help. Weird, considering the other two were on the ground. He was still screaming for help, then someone arrived.”

“ _Danny_ ,” was the only word Tammy could let out.

Lou shrugged. “I could barely keep my eyes open, I don’t know what happened exactly. But next thing I know Danny is there, the guy in on the ground and I’m okay. Then you guys arrived.”

Tammy stayed silent for a moment, she felt suddenly cold. “Danny would never hurt you.”

“I know,” Lou nodded without hesitation, “but he hasn’t explained how he arrived there, has he? Because spying on his sister, yeah, sounds like him. But he appeared there a little too quickly… I don’t know,” Lou groaned, frustrated for even entertaining those kind of doubts. Then she remembered something, “what about you?”

“This morning,” Tammy started, apparently eager to share, withholding information was probably hurting her just as much, “I genuinely couldn’t sleep. Last night was a little scary, you know?”

Lou smiled and nodded at her to go own. In her mind she was a little amused at the fact that last night Tammy had ran around wielding a knife and stabbed a man, but then she saw Lou with a bruise and couldn’t sleep peacefully for a week.

“I was in the kitchen debating between tea or coffee and I see Danny trying to sneak out of the house, obviously. But he had the decency of acknowledge me… A minimum amount of small talk later, and he said a few things along the lines of things getting out of hand last night, going to a meeting with the guy who did all this, and making plans with him and Debbie, soon.”

Both of them stayed quiet then. There was little they could have said to fill the silence, since they were both feeling pretty much the same. Still, Lou had to ask.

“Are you afraid, Tammy?”

“A little.”

“Me too,” Lou waited a moment before continuing, “Should we tell Debbie?”

“Yes, I think. But we can wait,” Tammy replied. “They will probably talk after dinner. He will explain himself. And everything will make sense again. This has to be just their intricate plans crashing against each other and… we’ll be fine. I trust them both.”

“Me too,” Lou repeated, smiling this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's okay!! I'll explain!! If the last part was a little confusing, I'm going to explain it better in the next chapter. I have a few things to decide but "plans crashing against each other" sounds... like me writing this lol be patient please  
> I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think


	25. Last Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter might be a little messy. Just to clear things up a little, there will be three flashbacks. First is the night of the watchmaker's party, when Lou gets attacked and then Danny appears. Then, the next morning when Tammy talks to Danny. Then, that next night when Debbie talks to Danny after dinner. And Then, we are done with the flashback and what happens is Debbie talking to Lou and Tammy the next morning. Enjoy!

_Lou felt like she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stand upright, like even blinking would hurt. But there was no time to dwell on her pain. She had taken down two out of the three men that dragged her out of the van and away from Nine Ball. There was only one left and he was basically dragging her through the alleyways. She let herself be dragged for a moment or two. He was about as hurt as she was, and trying to carry her would only tire him and give her a moment to recover. It wasn’t like he genuinely could beat her._

_In an instant, Lou took a deep breath and jumped out of his hold. He was thrown back and she took advantage of his surprise to gain the upper fight in the fight they had going on. She almost got him, but one particularly good aimed punch from his left her dizzy, on the verge of consciousness. She achieved one more hit, enough to throw him down. But then she had to step back and rest her weight on the wall of the alley._

_“Help! Help! I can’t anymore!” his voice filled the entire space around them, but maybe it was just the feeling of drowning Lou had at the moment. “Help! Over here!”_

_An awful combination of something like nausea, thoughts and emotions came up and down Lou’s body and she couldn’t even keep her eyes open anymore. She worried this man was genuinely receiving backup. She remembered they left his team beaten down a while ago. She opened her eyes and saw him trying to stand up. Closed her eyes. Footsteps were coming. Someone listened to her attacker’s cries and they had arrived. The help he had asked for. Someone came to help him and possibly finish the job and kill her. She wanted to throw up, pass out, scream, keep fighting… The wall was crumbling down under her weight. Maybe it was just her._

_Next time she opened her eyes was because she heard someone’s voice._ Danny Ocean _was standing beside her. Debbie and Tammy were staring at them and the rest of the team were quickly arriving. Then, darkness again._

_  
Tammy averted her eyes from her empty cup at the sound of footsteps. And there he was. Danny was doing his best to quietly walk down the stairs, ready to disappear on them, as per usual. However, he did see her, and after a moment of internal debate that he masked pretty well, he approached her. _

_“Good morning, Tammy, early bird,” he whispered._

_She accepted a kiss on the cheek and a hug from him. It was so familiar. For a brief instant she was suddenly fifteen again and staying over at the Ocean’s household._

_“Are you leaving?” she had to ask him._

_“Oh yeah, you know how it is,” he shrugged, of course she knew, she had consoled Debbie for years when he did this exact thing when they were still kids. “Tell her I’ll be back, though. Tonight._ I promise. _”_

_Tammy nodded with a small smile. She knew he was probably lying, but she also understood, she knew Danny. And she still didn’t have any reason to genuinely distrust him. That would change only a few seconds later. Danny seemed excited for the day ahead, he couldn’t help but keep talking to Tammy in more whispers._

_“Look, last night, things got out of hand. I have to go and exchange a few words with these guys. But, not to worry! We had a deal, I’m closing that now. And if everything goes according to plan, Debbie and I will be back in business, maybe making deals with him again in no time!”_

_He left Tammy speechless. But that didn’t seem to be a problem. He looked to be in a hurry, he didn't wait to see her reaction. He basically jogged out of the house, radiating that electrifying energy of his. It would have been pretty difficult to hate that man in that moment, except for the fact he suggested he had something to do with Lou’s attack last night, and he was planning to drag Debbie down with him. Tammy turned to the counter again and quickly got to work in a little too many coffee cups for her._

_“Should I be offended you don’t want to talk to me inside Lou’s house?”_

_“_ My house, _” Debbie corrected her brother._

_“Right,” he said. They were standing again right outside the house so they could have some privacy to finally talk about everything they owed each other. Danny looked behind him at the admittedly sketchy building, “you could do better,” he told Debbie._

_“It’s not about the house, and you know that.”_

_“I know, I know… Lou…_ and _Tammy,” Danny chuckled lightly, “you are very lucky, you know that?”_

_“Yes,” Debbie smiled widely, honestly. A few seconds later, hoping to keep the lightheartedness of the conversation but really needing to know, Debbie asked him, “Are you going to tell me why you faked your death while I was in prison?”_

_Danny nodded, “Well it’s complicated,” he shrugged, “it was not just these guys, but everything was piling up on top of… everything.” he started a recount of all the people he had angered, the covers he had to keep up, the complex situations in which he had put himself into. Debbie had heard of most of those people and most of his jobs, then there was everything she was just learning, plus the things he was probably not sharing. She could understand how he had grown overwhelmed through the years. “With dad gone and you in prison, I thought that if I disappeared for a while, you know, when you got out and I came back, we’d get a fresh start.”_

_He grinned widely and reminded her of his younger self, which. although endearing, wasn’t exactly good news. She knew that smile. That’s why she didn’t get her hopes up about the meaning of his words. “A fresh start?” she hummed thoughtfully, “what do you mean?”_

_“Debbie! This could be huge! Dad is gone, I’ve been dead, you’ve been in prison, our last name is not what it used to be… this could be our chance to start something great, come back stronger than ever”_

_Debbie was already shaking her head negatively before he finished talking, “Things have changed, Danny.”_

_“No, no. Don’t give me that speech that I know is in your head, because I know that’s not you. You were getting boring before prison. Now? You can’t just pull off the Met Gala heist and pretend it’s nothing and go lay low again.”_

_“I can’t?” Debbie questioned him amusedly, raising one eyebrow._

_“You can’t! Look, that man, Becker, his tricks were boring, no matter how much money he made. He got his lesson, you are free now, and you have the best team you’ve ever had, you’ve said so yourself! You have Lou and Tammy together this time-”_

_“They’re tired,” Debbie blurted out, but Danny scoffed, however, she didn’t let him interrupt her just yet. “I mean it, Danny. They… Tammy really retired, I just dragged her into this one job and now… I don’t know. And Lou, Lou is different Danny. I’m not sure if they’d want-”_

_“And what do you want?”_

_“_ I want them, _” Debbie stated very seriously, “And there’s eight of us now.”_

_Danny only smiled and wrapped one arms around Debbie, easily annoying her. “My little sister is blinded by love! Aren’t you too old for that, Debbie?”_

_“Stop it,” she grumbled, stepping away, trying to hold back her laughter._

_“Join me for my next heist?” Danny asked, without any more preambles. “One weekend in Vegas. Like the old times. If you don’t like it, I won’t bother you again.”_

_“Liar,” Debbie laughed at him. “You just came back to life, how are you going to pull a heist?”_

_“There’s a few things I have to tell you.”_

_“No shit,” Debbie joked, but truthfully her heart was starting to beat a little fast for her own liking. There was so much happening around her. Temptations, revelations and reservations were swirling in her mind and no matter how hard she tried the temptations were outweighing her reservations. However, there were a few revelations that could change it all._

 

 

  
It wasn’t until the next morning when Debbie, Lou and Tammy had a real chance to talk. Debbie had finished talking with her brother a little too late and by the time she made it back to the bedroom the painkiller she was still taking had knocked down Lou and Tammy, who had been asleep but woke up at the sounds of Debbie coming in, looked so sleepy and angelic that Debbie couldn’t have brought up anything troubling to her at the moment. 

When morning arrived, they were so familiar with each other that they easily moved through morning routine and all the while also easily figured there was something in the minds of the other, and something not necessarily good. With each passing second the three of them continued to grow tense and nervous. Eventually it was Tammy who took the first step. 

“How was your talk with Danny?” she asked Debbie. 

“Good. I think we are finally on the same page now,” Debbie replied, and then she proceeded to act like she didn’t notice the meaningful glance exchanged between Lou and Tammy. 

“Well, what did he say? Everything okay?” 

“Nothing extraordinary. A little bit of his reasoning for going, well, dead. Some stories of his time undercover. Yes, everything okay.” 

Debbie’s answer was deliberately short. She had been talking with Danny for too long. But they all knew they weren’t there trying to discuss what Danny did on his free time when he was supposed to be dead. Debbie leaned against one of the walls, Lou was sitting down on the edge of the bed and Tammy was standing in the middle of the room, fidgeting with her fingers. 

“That’s good!” she said, not looking at Debbie in the eyes, “That’s great... So, you… Uh...” she was struggling with choosing the right question, but Lou beat her to it. 

“Do you trust him, Debbie?” 

Although the question was undoubtedly heavy, Debbie answered immediately, with a strong voice and without hesitation, “He’s my brother. Do any of you have any reasons why I shouldn’t trust him?” 

Of course, the only response she received was absolute silence that stretched for some of the most difficult seconds they had recently experienced. “So?” Debbie questioned them, starting to lose her patience, she walked towards Tammy. 

“No - nothing. I just - I want to make sure he’s told you everything you - you deserve to know.” 

“Like what?” Debbie asked her. “What do you know?” Her tone was unclear between demanding and begging for an answer. 

When Tammy took too long to answer, Debbie moved closer to Lou then. She stood beside her and reached out to lift Lou’s chin, then tenderly stroke her cheek with her thumb. “What do you know?” she repeated her question, looking at Lou in the eyes. Debbie’s voice was a whisper, but noticeably strained. 

Debbie watched how Lou and Tammy opened and closed their mouth, speechless. She groaned loudly and roughly ran her hands through her hair. “You cowards!” she accused them, walking towards the doors but not really planning on leaving, “Were you just going to let me go along with Danny and not telling me what you both really think?!” she was starting to raise her voice but the look of betrayal she gave them was by far the worst part. “He told me, you know? _Everything._ He did explain it all, without me having to beg him, by the way.” Debbie’s words and the way she pointedly looked at both women were breaking them apart. 

“After I paid his debt, Danny contacted this guy and it was Danny’s idea to make them keep bothering me, so I could, I don’t know, feel excited about this life again, want to plan something, keep working, all of that, you can imagine. Am I beyond furious that Danny waited so long to let me know that he was alive? That he went to others first? That he was playing with me all this time? Of course I am! But,” Debbie started pacing around the room, “he was there the night, on the watchmaker’s birthday party, because he was following every detail of his plan. Those men got carried away and of course regretted it, so Danny had to interfere. Hurting Lou was never part of his plan, but this people still held a few grudges against Danny. Either way, he closed the deal already. Yesterday. It’s _over_.” Debbie sighed, but she wasn’t over, “he also told me about Lou noticing him in the alley that night, and about his little moment of oversharing his plans to Tammy yesterday morning. Does this explain it all? Is there anything else?” 

It looked like that time Debbie was actually waiting for an answer, but Lou and Tammy stull could barely look her in the eyes, let alone share the thoughts that, regardless of Danny’s explanations, still deeply haunted them. When the silence was too much for her, Debbie finally exploded, “What aren’t you two telling me?!”, she raised her voice, “Why don’t you say it?! Why is it so difficult?!” 

“Because we thought you wouldn’t believe us!” Lou shouted, finally standing up from the bed, “that you would blindly trust Danny’s story and disregard our doubts about him.” 

“Because we were scared you’d take Danny’s side,” Tammy added, “that you would want to go back working with him, that you would leave us, because that...” 

“Wouldn’t have been the first time you do that.” Lou finished when Tammy wasn’t able to utter the words they were both thinking. 

Lou and Tammy’s words were worse than daggers to Debbie’s heart. She suddenly felt so, so cold. She felt as if vital parts of her had shattered and the pieces were scattering out of her, out of reach, and she could no longer recognize herself or the two women around her. 

“Well, so much for trusting me, huh?” Debbie sighed, “Here I was thinking that I had earned your forgiveness and that love would be enough for us to move forward,” her voice was unsteady, but she cleared her throat and in an instant, she stopped being their Debbie, she was Debbie Ocean and she was an expert at hiding her emotions, putting of a perfectly emotionless act. “I guess I was wrong,” she shrugged. “You know what? Maybe you girls are right. I haven’t changed in all these years and I couldn’t possibly want something serious with both of you more than I want to steal the watch off the wrist of a drunk man in Las Vegas. Maybe I should really go with Danny.” 

This time there was no hesitation at all in Debbie’s action when she turned around and walked out of the bedroom. 

“Go with him where?” Tammy asked horrified. 

“Debbie?” Lou called out after her with her heart breaking inside her, “Debbie? Please?” 

Both of them knew it was better in that moment to give Debbie her space, to let her go and try to fix everything later. That’s what they had always done. But that didn’t mean they didn’t regret absolutely everything that had happened form the moment Debbie first asked them what they were thinking and to the moment they let her walk away. It felt different. Everything felt _different_. 

On her way out of the house, Debbie pretended she didn’t see Constance rushing out through the back door to avoid looking at her, and Amita, Nine Ball, Daphne and Rose staring with worry in their eyes as Debbie left their home. No sight of Danny. 

The four women who couldn’t help but overhear, stayed still for a few moments, doubting what to do. Until Nine Ball cleared her throat and stared walking away, “I’ll go check on Constance,” she said. Daphne had been standing behind Rose, with her arms wrapped around her girlfriend’s shoulders, leaning her head down to partially hide her face in Rose’s wild mane of hair. “What do we do?” she whispered. 

“We desperately hope that they fix whatever just happened,” Amita was the one to answer, “I don’t think those three can take another breakup. Not like the first time.” 

“What do you mean?” Rose wondered. She turned towards Amita, making Daphne, who was still clinging to her, turn right along. 

“I’ve known them a long time, you know that. I saw their first break up first-hand, how it nearly destroyed the three of them. You couldn’t have recognized Tammy. She closed off, she worked by herself, she took on several lifestyles. I think she didn’t know, back then, who she was if she wasn’t with Debbie and Lou.” 

“And now she knows,” Daphne added, nodding along in sudden understanding, “she knows herself too well to allow losing herself because of something Debbie does or does not do.” 

“What about Lou?” Rose asked. 

“You know what happened to Lou,” Amita replied with a shaky voice, surprising herself by how emotional she was starting to feel by it all. “Lou almost killed herself,” she whispered. “We know Tammy arrived in time. But what if she had never arrived?” 

The three of them shivered and stayed silent for a few moments. 

“What about Debbie, then?” Daphne asked her at last, “What’s different from then and now?” 

However, Amita barely had a chance at opening her mouth. Someone else replied and made the three of them quickly turn towards the stairs, where Lou and Tammy were walking down the steps, leather jacket and soft coat respectively in hand. Apparently, they were going out as well. 

“What’s different now,” Lou started explaining in a strong voice, “is that this is Debbie’s last chance. And she knows it.” 

When they reached the door, Lou turned towards Tammy with a confident spark in her eyes. Tammy took her cue. 

“It’s _our_ last chance. This time we won’t let anything ruin us. We are all taking responsibility where it’s due.” 

Tammy accentuated her words by finishing with a resolute nod. Then she took the hand that Lou had extended for her. And just like that, hand in hand, they walked out of their home, ready to move whatever it took between heaven and earth to find Debbie and with her, a middle ground for all their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there it is!!  
> i hope you liked it!!  
> it took a little longer because i didn't want them to fight but then i came up with that ending so yeah


	26. Did you use to be afraid?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every chapter i write i proofread less and less (seriously i'm not sure of half of the things i wrote here so sorry if you find any word compeltely out of place lol)

It was a cold morning, or, at least, it was that whimsical time of the early morning when no matter what the weather had in store for the rest of the day, it is always cold. To make matters worse, the front door of the warehouse turned club turned home for eight women, was wide open. Debbie, Lou and Tammy were standing in the doorway, caught in an emotional embrace. _One weekend_. One weekend was all. It was early Friday and Debbie was supposed to come back late on Sunday. It was only one weekend. But it felt like their entire lives were pending on this moment.

“Take care,” Lou mumbled against Debbie’s hair. “And take care of him. I still don’t trust him.”

The advice made Debbie chuckle and finally she pulled back from the hug to stare in the face of Lou and Tammy. She wasn’t surprised by what she found. Those were the faces she knew and loved more than anything in the world. Lou, as expected, was confident, trusting Debbie, smiling despite the solemnity and concern that glowed in her magical blue eyes. Tammy, their angel, their mighty angel, she was silent, holding back her emotions, doing a great job, except for her expressive chocolate eyes that stole Debbie’s heart. Those eyes prompted her to talk, to try and repeat her promises, her reasurances, her plans.

“It’ll be fine, okay? I’ll be back on Sunday and-”

“I know,” Tammy nodded, a little too eagerly for fear that one word more than necessary will make her cry.

“You’ll be fine?”

“Debbie,” Lou interrupted her. “We’ve talked enough. You have to go now. We _are_ going to be okay.”

It was that last statement what the three of them had been waiting to hear for so many years now. It settled warmly and heavily on Debbie and Tammy’s hearts. They had known, almost since the moment they met Lou, that there was close to nothing they wouldn’t believe if it came from Lou. The strong voice, the confidence, the eyes that went straight to their souls.

“You’ll take of my home? And my team?” Debbie asked.

Lou only hummed in response, mocking Debbie for asking the obvious. The brunette let out a deep sigh that served as a signal her time was over and she was about to turn around and leave. However, “I love you,” Tammy blurted out at the last moment. She blushed, but smiled, when the other two turned to look at her.

Debbie smiled softly for an instant as well. When her smile vanished, her eyes moved across Tammy’s face, taking her time, memorizing the details, savoring the moment. Then she leaned in and kissed Tammy. It was delicate, it was perfect, “I love you too,” Debbie whispered against Tammy’s lips.

“And I love you too,” she added, a little more playfully, when she turned towards Lou, bringing one hand to the back of Lou’s head and meeting her halfway for another kiss.

“See you soon,” Lou called out after Debbie when she walked away and into the car that would take her and Danny to the airport, where God knows how the supposedly deceased man would find them a way to fly to Las Vegas.

Debbie’s absence was a strange concept to wrap their minds around. Even though it had been only seconds, it felt simply weird being at home, knowing she was walking away from it. At least, there were still seven of them at home, though, when Lou and Tammy turned around, they found only six waiting for them in the open space they considered living room.

“Where’s Constance?” Lou asked as soon as they reached the group.

“She doesn’t want to come in,” Nine Ball explained.

“I think she wants to be alone,” Amita added.

Lou, of course, wasn’t exactly a good listener of advice, “yeah, I’ll go talk to her,” Lou announced. She left Tammy a sweet kiss in the cheek, because she wanted to, and also to let her know it was best if she went alone. Nobody questioned the special bond she had with Constance.

Meanwhile, Tammy sat down in one of the couches, letting out a big sigh and getting as comfortable as possible.

Amita placed a supportive hand on her knee and squeezed, “are you okay?”

Tammy nodded repeatedly, “I’m fine. I trust her, I know she’ll be fine. I guess I’m just worried she’ll like the experience a little too much,” she laughed awkwardly but immediately tried to change the subject, “but how are _you_? Are you ready? Nervous? Excited?” Tammy practically squealed, placing her hand on Amita’s belly, where a little girl was almost ready to come out.

“How much longer we have to wait to meet the little lady?” Rose asked, jumping into the conversation hand in hand with Daphne.

“Two months. I think it’s going to be around two months more.”

Nine Ball, without ever losing her composure, always kept in touch with Amita on every step of her pregnancy. She was surprisingly thoughtful in a way her concern never included worry or anxiety, only confidence. “All good with the doc?” she asked right on cue.  
“Everything looks good!”

“That’s so exciting!” it was Daphne’s turn to squeal in delight. “How’s the nursery? Did we cover everything? Should we get her one more outfit? Baby?”

“I can design something else right now!”

Rose replied very seriously, not that anybody would doubt her. She even proceeded to adjust on her face one of the two pairs of glasses she always carried.

On the other couch, Tammy couldn’t help herself and her emotions and gave Amita a quick hug, “you’re going to be an excellent mother!”

A few agreements were shared and Amita stared at them with tears in her eyes, getting emotional.

“You’re all going to be fantastic aunts. And you,” she looked down at her stomach, “are going to be one lucky girl.You will have a very interesting life. Because we are very interesting people.”

“That we are,” Nine Ball agreed with a grin and leaned back comfortably in her chair.

They all started at Amita for a moment, very happy for her. All except Daphne, who had her eyes glued to her hand holding Rose’s hand. To the rings they wore on their fingers, rings that only represented fashion, rings that weren’t the one she had been wishing for.

“Excuse me,” Daphne managed to say before her voice broke.

She immediately stood up and walked to her room.

“Darling? Are you okay? Daphne?” Rose called out after her, and when she got no response she slumped in the sofa. “Oh, I should go after her, shouldn’t I?” she asked, as a serious question.

“Yes, you should,” Tammy told her.

“But it’s scary!”

“What happened? She seemed upset,” Amita noted, “I thought you two were doing better.”

“Right. That’s the thing. We were doing better than ever back when she proposed, then I ruined, then, well, you know the rest,” Rose made a waving motion with her hand then further slumped in the couch. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t get it Rose, why wouldn’t you want to marry Daphne?” Tammy asked, looking down at her lap, not wanting to show the hint of disappointment at knowing she didn’t have a chance at a traditional ceremony at all.

“Don’t you love her?” Nine Ball asked, smirking in amusement because she already knew the answer.

“More than anything! I love her more than anything in the world.”

The sincerity and force of her statement brought Rose up to a standing position, staring at the closed door of Daphne’s bedroom. But she was paralyzed by doubt. Her three friends exchanged looks and eventually Tammy walked up to her, placed a supportive hand on her shoulder and that seemed to wake Rose up from her daze.

“Rose?” Tammy started, “I fell in love with two of the most unnecessarily complicated women in the world. You know how they are,” she smiled and Rose nodded along. “All this years and we still have so much to figure out. But let me tell you something I’ve learned. Because I’ve been right where Daphne is.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I’ve been in love, so in love. I’ve wanted to give my world to a woman whose head was in a different world entirely. I’ve wanted to die for a woman that didn’t want to live. I’ve wanted to change myself and my life and change them and their lives and for the longest time nothing worked. I wanted and wanted, and I asked and begged and waited. But I also walked away, I walked away and didn’t look back. You wouldn’t want Daphne to walk away completely, would you?”

“No,” Rose said in a whisper.

“Then don’t let her. Don’t make her wait. Because all your doubts, all your fears, all your worst case scenarios… I’m not going to lie to you, maybe you’ll have to face them sooner or later. But wouldn’t it be better if you faced them together? Wouldn’t it be better to deal with everything scary as a team? Together… you know, forever?”

For the better part of Tammy’s speech Rose had been listening very seriously, but with that last statement a small giggle escaped her lips, “I do want to marry her. Very much, actually.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Well I can’t just go and propose right now! I need - it needs to be _perfect_ , I - we need preparations.”

“We’ll help you!” Amita intervened excitedly, even more emotional, “but you should go and talk to her right now. Just talk.”

“Go get your girl, Rose,” Nine Ball nodded towards the general direction of the bedroom where Daphne disappeared minutes ago.

Rose started walking, but her friends got to hear her mumble, “God, relationships are difficult,” as she went, leaving three women laughing fondly in the living room.

 

 

 

The first thing Lou notices when walking outside of the house is Constance sitting nearby with her back turned to the building.

“I’m not being overdramatic, Leslie, leave me alone,” Constance grumbled without turning around as soon as she heard the door open.

Lou chuckled, “you’re calling her Leslie? She’s going to kick your ass.”

The sound of her voice made the younger woman turned around startled and stare at her, but she said nothing, not even when Lou sat down next to her, both sitting down in not exactly the most delicate of ways “Do you want to talk?” Lou asked.

“I thought you weren’t good at talking.”

“I’m terrible at talking about relationships, I thought. But I’m a good listener, give me some credit.”

This didn’t seem to be enough for Constance. Perhaps she simply couldn’t find the words. Lou decided to believe it was the latter option and so she stayed quiet as well, waiting and waiting until it became obvious she’d have to push a little harder.

“Come on, let’s go back inside. Debbie’s not home, you know that means the rules of the house are cut to a half of them.”

Constance did laugh at that, “Does Tammy know you’re promoting anarchy in the house?”

“You’re my favorite child, I’ll protect you,” Lou told her in a sarcastic tone.

“I’m _not_ a child!” Constance protested. This earned her an unimpressed look from Lou that said more than words could. “But am I really your favorite?”

Then it was Lou’s turn to laugh. She had managed to break the ice and it wasn’t too long before Constance started talking without any more pressure.

“Look, this place is our home. It’s my home, and you’re all my family and I really, really don’t want to lose it, okay? I’ve never had anything like _this_ and I don’t know, it kinda terrified me to see you three arguing,” Constance finished with a shrug, trying to downplay how seriously she meant those words.

Lou understood, she perfectly understood. She was thoughtful for a minute, remembering back in the day when she first met Debbie and Tammy, how they were the best thing that had happened in her life, how she didn’t believe for a second that she deserved them, how she stayed on the sidelines during the arguments that broke them apart because she didn’t believe she deserved an opinion when it came to them. It was a different situation, less romantic. But Lou understood how being part of Debbie’s life, part of Debbie’s team, made you feel like you belonged, like you were complete, like nothing could ever go wrong. But if, or better yet, when something unavoidably went wrong, losing Debbie Ocean could make you feel like you lost absolutely everything.

“You’re _not_ going to lose it,” Lou shook her head, speaking both for her and Constance, “I won’t let it happen.”

Constance silence was something unusual and genuinely worrisome, it prompted Lou to keep talking.

“I don’t know if you saw that when Debbie stormed out of the house the other day, Tammy and I chased her.”

“You did?”

“Oh yeah. We found her, it was kind of easy actually. Debbie Ocean is not the same she used to be,” Lou looked towards the sky, a smile fighting its way to her lips, “but in my opinion she’s so much better.”

“Gross.”

Both women shared a laugh for a moment and then Lou continued her explanation.

“I have a good feeling this time, Constance. I trust Debbie. She won’t screw this up, she’s not that stupid. And I won’t let her this time, I’m ready to fight for her this time, I’m not afraid anymore. Plus, we have Tammy.”

Constance nodded. It seemed like she finally accepting what Lou was trying to make her understand. But something in Lou’s words picked her interest.

“Did you use to be afraid?” she asked, but the moment was gone.

Lou shook her head in mocking outrage, “Never.” Constance couldn’t help but laugh and get up along with Lou. “Come on, we’ll share embarrassing stories about Debbie and you don’t want to miss that,” Lou said at last, walking back to the house and knowing Constance was following.

 

 

Rose walked into Daphne’s room, that used to be theirs, and found the actress with her back turned to the door.

“Daphne?” Rose said timidly, but it completely startled Daphne, who jumped on the spot and quickly turned around, moving her hands behind her back as if hiding something. “What do you have there?” Rose asked her with a smile.

“Uh, _nothing_ ,” Daphne replied with a perfectly confused expression on her face, as if it was something absurd the idea that she was holding something behind her back.

Her own tension, however, was the reason she started fidgeting and let whatever secret object it was fall to the ground. When it hit the floor it made a brief metallic sound. Although Daphne rushed to pick it up, Rose managed to spot it right away.

“It’s my ring!” Rose exclaimed, she felt excited, in fact she felt overjoyed with the simple sight of it. Daphne groaned as an answer and got up. “Can I have it back?” Rose asked with a hopeful smile.

Out of all the things Daphne was expecting, that wasn’t one of them, which showed clearly in the expression of confusion and almost anger in her face. She couldn’t form words to reply.

“I mean - uh - maybe not - or, you know, no - not _now_ ,” Rose stammered, “I just - I’d like to.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. I mean, you don’t have to say that,” Daphne explained, running one hand through her always luscious hair.

“But I really-”

“Look, Rose, I get it,” Daphne interrupted her, “you weren’t ready, I moved a little fast, I scared you.”

“That’s not exactly-”

“We had to go through that, I think, don’t you think?” Daphne looked upwards and tapped her fingernails on her chin, “yeah, I think we needed to take a step back.”

“Maybe, but, you see, I’m trying-” Rose continued to lose the fight of getting her words out.

“And it worked! I think. I mean, we’re in a good place, right?”

“Right.”

“So? It’s okay! I’ll be okay,” Daphne laughed, even though it was her clearly forced laughed, but her next words came out a little more softly, “I’ll be okay. I can wait for you.”  
“Daphne!” Rose raised her voice, breaking the sudden calmness.

“ _What_?” Daphne asked, confused, not realizing she had been interrupting Rose for the past minute.

Now that she had the moment to talk, Rose didn’t know exactly what to say. She opened and closed her mouth a few times and finally, finally she said what she had been trying to.

“I don’t think I want to wait anymore.”

“You don’t have to say that,” Daphne said, looking down and attempting a timid laugh to hide how badly the illusion of those words affected her.

“Right. I know,” Rose shrugged.

The fact that she knew she didn’t have to say it, but she did it anyway, took a moment to reach Daphne, and a moment to settle warmly within her. Could it be possible that Rose was finally ready? That she wasn’t scared anymore to be hers and only hers? Daphne almost couldn’t believe herself, but she was completely speechless. As if reading her mind, Rose spoke up again.

“I’m absolutely terrified, darling. But… you’re my princess. Risking everything for you, for us, doesn't sound so bad now that I think about it.”

All the most beautiful emotions were bubbling inside Daphne, threatening to spill in joyful tears. She felt she couldn’t stand still and a nervous but happy laugh escaped her when the only thing she could say was “did you just call me a princess?”

“ _My_ princess,” Rose corrected her and extended a hand, hoping Daphne would take it and everything it meant.

Never one to be particularly timid and even less so when it came to showing her love for her very singular girlfriend, Daphne ignored the outstretched hand and gleefully jumped into Rose’s arms.

 

 

It was weird, having the entire team sleeping in the house without Debbie there. The void was noticeable, but they were trying not to dwell on it. It would only be two nights, they couldn’t lose their minds over such a small amount of time. The anxiety stemmed from the fact that they knew Debbie could come back with a completely different mindset. Well, they feared that would be the case. But each member of the team had their hopes on Debbie. At night, they all went to sleep trying to stay as hopeful as possible.

For Lou and Tammy, sleep didn’t come easy. Lou, because she didn’t want to fall asleep. Tammy, because she was kept awake by Lou tossing and turning in bed. However, at some point, when Lou stayed still for more than a minute, it was more than enough for Tammy to finally fall asleep. Lou had been laying on her back, one arm behind her head as she stared at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. Her other arm she kept by her side, because Tammy was cuddling up to her, one hand intertwined with hers and another softly wrapped around her bicep, her nose pressed to her shoulder and one leg also thrown halfway over one of Lou’s lega. In that position, Lou couldn’t exactly keep moving in bed so in a matter of minutes she followed suit and fell asleep.

Tammy’s rest was interrupted not too long later by a sharp pain on her stomach. She groaned and her eyes fluttered open, That’s when she realized it had been Lou who elbowed her in her sleep. She would have complained, except that she quickly realized the reason behind the accident was that Lou was in the middle of what looked like to be a terrible nightmare. There was sweat covering her face, making strands of her golden hair stick. She was frowning, small whimpers were escaping her lips and her body was moving without any control.

“Lou? Lou?” Tammy tried calling her, then she started shaking her little by little, “Lou? Baby please wake up. Lou!”

Lou had the expected reaction of jumping into a seated position, her eyes snapping wide open and gasping for air, but it lasted barely a second. As soon as she gained consciousness she groaned and her hands flew to cover her face, her eyes were closed tightly and she was frustrated with herself beyond relief. Her breathing was still ragged and Tammy could almost feel her rapid heartbeat even without touching her, which didn’t last long. Because Tammy immediately placed a soothing hand on Lou’s back.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s just a nightmare,” Tammy whispered, she tried to move them so that she could hug Lou but the blonde woman jerked away and while Tammy continued to try, Lou struggled against her hold, still covering her face with both hands. “Come on, Lou, it’s okay. Lou!”

Tammy’s insistence finally won over and Lou all but broke into pieces over Tammy’s lap. Knowing it was the best, Tammy only continued to hold Lou, in absolute silence for a few moments. Proud, stubborn and with a strong dislike for showing her most vulnerable side, Lou didn’t cry, didn’t move, didn’t say anything for a while. Her open palms turned into fists she pressed to her closed eyes, she bit her lip a little too harshly but no sobs escaped her and very soon her breathing had come back to normal. If that was how she wanted to deal with it, fine, but now that she was done, Tammy couldn’t just let her go just yet.

“Still having nightmares, huh?” she whispered.

“No.”

“Huh, are you sure?” she replied.

Lou could hear her girlfriend’s affectionate smile in her voice and she took note of the lighthearted approach and appreciated it deeply. She sighed, she was okay, she was with Tammy, everything would be fine.

“It’s not the same,” Lou grumbled as she moved away from Tammy but she stayed close enough to feel her warmth, “This was a normal, regular human nightmare.”

Her explanation was received with complete silence. Lou took a deep breath, ran her hands through her hair and when she finally looked at Tammy, she found the younger woman staring at her with an adoring look in her eyes, but clearly not accepting her answer. Lou frowned. While Debbie would have scoffed and rolled her eyes, this was Tammy’s cute way of calling her out.

“What? It’s true!” Lou defended herself. “Seriously, I’m better, I’m doing okay. This… this isn’t supposed to happen anymore. It just… this… look, Debbie in Las Vegas, okay?”

“Oh…”

There was few seconds of silence while they both thought about the fateful but terrifying night when Debbie met Lou on the rooftop of a hotel in Las Vegas, so very close to the edge. Tammy tried to find something to say, but before she could come up with something, Lou further explained herself.

“I was dreaming… that Debbie was in my place… she was doing… all the things I did… and I was just watching her… just… doing nothing.”

Tammy sighed sadly, wishing she could take Lou’s pain away, take it herself if necessary, but take it away from her.

“It’s just a nightmare. Something like that would never happen,” she said, but Lou didn’t reply. “That’s not Debbie. And that certainly wasn’t you.” At that, Lou nodded lightly, so Tammy kept going. “Did you want to go with her?” that earned her a purposeful shake of head. “No, I see. Do you ever want to go back there?”

Lou shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe, probably. Someday, with you two, maybe.”

That answer made Tammy’s heart tremble inside her chest. She couldn’t trust her voice to be steady, so she leaned in and kissed Lou’s temple sweetly. Then she just didn’t pull away. She wrapped her arms around Lou and held her. A moment passed and Lou found a way to sneak her arms around Tammy as well. It wasn’t the most comfortable of positions and it wasn’t long before they fell back down into the bed, sharing a loving laugh and afterwards sharing a peaceful sleep. Another thing they shared was how they couldn’t wait for Debbie to be back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a slightly longer than usual update!
> 
> I'm trying to make up for the fact that I started a new semester at college and I'm a little bit busy and hopefully I'll find the strenght to focus on more urgent things and probably won't update too soon... but also who knows! I have no self control so let's see what happenes.
> 
> Also this was a little longer because I got carried away and I also got a little bit insecure so I was trying to also make up for it?  
> Be honest guys is this fic still good? I have a feeling like it's time to start seriously wrapping up in a few more chapters.
> 
> Don't worry though, I would keep writing. There's still the other fic, Red Room For 8, the new one shor, Do you wanna play a game?, and I have a few more planned!
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter and about the existential fanfic crisis lol
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	27. Terms And Conditions Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will feel kind of a short chapter but it was just getting too long so i decided to split it up. the 2nd part should be ready very soon!

The house was a mess, a very happy mess looking forward to the return of the one and only Debbie Ocean, who none of them had been expecting to miss so much after barely a weekend. Lou and Tammy had been teased relentlessly by the other girls the entire time. Turns out that no matter where Debbie’s head was while working with her brother, she very clearly remembered, and with a strong distaste, her time of isolation in prison, resulting in her calling back home very, very often during the time she was away. It looked a lot like they didn’t have any reason to worry. However, that wouldn’t be completely certain until Debbie was really back home to let them know what she was thinking. It wasn’t like you could easily tell what Debbie Ocean was thinking or planning when she was staring right at you, let alone during a simple phone call.

“What is she saying, what is she saying?” Daphne repeated as she tried to look at Constance’s phone from over the girl’s shoulder.

“Get off! Look it’s just a picture. She’s almost here!” Constance replied.

From her other shoulder Amita was also trying to take a look at the phone, “Let me see! I am a mother!”

“Not yet!”

Making an unlikely team, Rose and Nine Ball were the ones taking the lead on setting everything up for dinner. Mostly it was about Rose being nice and about Nine Ball pretending she was just bored, it wasn’t like she was actually really nice, not at all… 

“Well, she didn’t answer my text,” Rose complained.

“You sent it to the groupchat, Rose, she did reply.”

“Right,” Rose nodded, “she did?”

Coming out of their room, Lou and Tammy were in completely different headspaces. Tammy rushed out almost to trip down the stairs, if Lou hadn’t caught her arm and pulled her back in towards her body, lovingly trapping her there with both arms.

“Slow down,” Lou scolded her amusedly.

Tammy pretended to fight her hold and mumbled “But she’s almost here.”

Lou hummed in response and didn’t let go of Tammy. Eventually Tammy melted in Lou’s embrace letting out a sigh and fully enjoying the feeling of her girlfriend’s arm wrapped tightly around her. She snuggled against the taller woman and asked “Are you worried?”

“As fuck.”

That answer alone produced many different emotions in Tammy. First, she wanted to laugh at Lou’s bluntness and complete lack of hesitation. But she was also interrupted by a blush and a chill running through her spine produced by the feeling of Lou’s murmured response so near her ear, her breath tickling her skin and, well, distracting her. At last she settled on concern and slight confusion.

“Really?” Tammy wondered, doing her best to turn around in Lou’s arms, but she didn’t get very far when she tried to move away because Lou didn’t allow it. She kept her hold on her waist keeping her as close as possible.

“Aren’t you?”

“Not very. I’m just excited for her to come back.”

Lou sighed and looked away. “Yeah. But you know how they are, the Oceans. For all we know they could be coming back just to throw all of us into a plane to go pull off a heist in Tokyo.”

“And you wouldn’t like that?” Tammy asked and raised an eyebrow. But her teasing was nothing but adorable in Lou’s eyes, who chuckled fondly in response.

“Would _you_?”

Tammy stalled by playing with the many necklaces hanging on Lou’s neck. “I think that’s something we should discuss the three of us together.”

Lou groaned playfully, “Give me a heads up? I want to know what’s on you cute little head,” she said, tilting her head to the side trying to catch Tammy’s eyes, knowing she could convince her with just a look.

Effectively, Tammy met her eyes an immediately sighed. “I want to settle down, I don’t want to live like this forever. _But_ the occasional adventure with our friends doesn’t sound too bad, you know?” she didn’t give Lou a chance to respond. She kissed her quickly, sweetly, enough to distract her, just as she knew it would. Then she slipped away from her arms and rushed down the stairs, “let’s go, Lou, let’s go.”

Right on cue, when Tammy was halfway down the stairs the entire house was filled by the sound of Constance shouting “Mom number one is here!”

What happened next was a joyful blur of hugs, kisses and more hugs. Someone stepped on somebody’s foot, someone elbowed somebody else and someone’s bracelets got caught in someone’s hair. But overall it was a very happy chaos.

Tammy jumped into Debbie’s arms and she was happily welcomed there. A perfect fit. She only pulled back when they were starting to lose their balance. Debbie was saved from tripping with her luggage and down to the floor by Lou’s hand, who was readily placed at her back, steading her and conveniently turning her around for a proper kiss. The kiss itself was deep, passionate and Lou was definitely taking her time. The group around them cheered and laughed at the scene.

Finally she let go of Debbie’s lips, leaving the brunette positively breathless and blushing despite herself. “What was that for?” Debbie asked, trying to regain control of herself.

“I just remembered I owed you that from you came out of prison,” Lou winked at her.

“So?” Tammy asked, bringing Debbie’s attention back to her, tugging on her arm.

After some brief eye contact that Debbie had missed so badly, she looked around and found her entire team - her entire family, looking expectantly at her.

“You have good news for us, mom?”

“How was your thieves retirement?”

“Are you enlightened now or something?”

“What happened with Danny?”

“Are you okay?”

Debbie smiled. Of course she did. Did anybody in that room trusted on the exact meaning of one of Debbie Ocean’s smiles though? Of course they didn’t.

“Well I’m here, aren’t I?” Debbie said, and made a move to walk away.

Lou’s arm caught her before she could get too far away. “Nope. That’s not going to be enough for us, ma’am.”

“Debbie, we were all waiting,” Tammy added, making a wide gesture with her arms to signature the entire group. “We all want to know what’s in your head after your trip. What’s in the future for… us… and all of us.”

That last bit had been clearly an afterthought, which caused Tammy to blush and Debbie’s heart to swell. She leaned in, tenderly kissed Tammy’s cheeks and when she pulled back she looked all around at her team - at _her family_.

“So? What do you guys want to hear?” she asked and received expectant silence in response. “Are you guys expecting me to say that, for example… Maybe Danny asked me to stay in Las Vegas longer? That he had a brilliant, monumental plan. That we could do it together. Maybe, just maybe, I could have Lou or Tammy with me but nobody else. That we could arrange to fake my death later if necessary, because apparently it’s a good investment; the only problem would be to lose my entire life, my freedom, my every chance to have a resemblance to a normal life with the people I love. Is that what everyone wanted to hear?”

The silence was absolute. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Howerever, there was something strange about Debbie. Her words were terrifying. But she was smiling, and that was the kind of smile they knew a little better. She was amused, she was happy, she was…

“How about…” she continued, “If I tell you about the things I realized on the trip?” Debbie clapped her hands and started pacing around the group, easily holding their attention in the palm of her hand. “One,” she announced, counting lifting a finger in the air, “I love this… I just really love this, all of this,” she gestured to everything around them. “I love this team we have. I love our dynamic. I love everything we stand for and what we mean to each and every one of us. If I missed it so much for one day or two, I don’t want to imagine ever losing it entirely.”

“Two. I love you two so much,” Debbie added, lifting to fingers up and staring intensely at Lou and Tammy for a moment. She was standing across from them, their friends in the middle, looking from one side to the other. Eventually Debbie broke into a smile. “I love you two more than anything else, which leads me to point number three. There’s nothing in this world that would convince me to give this up. I’m not going anywhere. Not without the seven of you. I want great, legendary heists with you as my team but more than anything I just don't want to lose you. I want to experience every little milestone of you guys. I want my family. I don’t want to lose it, or risk it, but wherever we go from here, I want us to go together.”

“Debbie are you serious?” Amita asked her. These were words she never really expected from her long time friend.

“I mean it,” Debbie nodded. “I want to be here for your daughter and I want her to grow up with a family. I also want to see you two married,” she added, gesturing with a finger towards Daphne and Rose, who blushed in response. “And I’d like to see you two grow up, but I don’t have high hopes,” she smiled at Constance and Nine Ball, who laughed and scoffed respectively. Debbie walked among them and finally stood proudly in front of Lou and Tammy. “What do you say?” she asked them.

Lou had a sly smirk on her face but her happiness glowed in her blue eyes, making Debbie feel more in love with her than ever before. The blonde shrugged purposefully, playful.

“I don’t know… Tammy?”

“Me?” Tammy asked, seemingly thrown off guard.

Debbie smiled at her, “What do you want baby?” she asked her, more directly.

It looked like Tammy was having a hard time getting the words out. Her brain wasn’t working properly so she couldn’t do the math, but she could guess she had spent most of her life just waiting for this very moment, for Debbie to stand in front of her, so confident and so in love, and just… ask her, ask her what she wanted, and she would get it. The answer to the question, however, had changed just as much and just as often as they had changed as people.

“I want you,” Tammy shrugged. Both Debbie and Lou smiled at her, finding her struggle completely endearing.

“I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere. But if I remember correctly you used to ask me for a “normal” life, remember?”

Although it was true that the spark in Debbie’s eyes dimmed slightly by simply saying the words “normal life”, everything about her was still so… certain, so bold, slightly amused and that hint of mischief in her eyes… Wasn’t that tendency to mischief one of the reasons for the magic in their relationship and their lives and why they were… themselves?

“I think… I want… some guarantee of stability would be nice… but… if you… you know, were to have an exceptional plan or…”

“Tammy,” Lou interrupted her.

Debbie looked equal parts excited and terrified when she next addressed Tammy, “Please tell me you’re trying to say you don’t want a boring, legal and lawful life.”

“Why would I want it?”

Before Debbie could react, loud cheers exploded from behind her. Plus, a very angry “Fuck!” from Lou. Constance was cheering louder than the rest and she had jumped on the blonde’s back. Despite her frown, Lou moved her hands to support Constance on her back.

“Let’s go moms! Let’s go celebrate!”

Amita rushed forward to hug Debbie and Nine Ball approached her as well.

“Still a team, then?” the hacker asker, already lifting her hand up in the air for a high five that Debbie promptly met.

“Forever a team.”

Rose reached out towards Tammy and grabbed one of her hands.

“Are you sure darling?” she asked, happiness and concern making up a interesting mix in her eyes.

Tammy nodded, “We’ll deal with details later, but I’m… very happy. I’m sure about this.”

Among laughs, congratulatory words and the occasional “Let’s actually rob the Met this time!” kind of suggestions, the group followed Daphne out of the house and towards their favorite restaurant to celebrate.

“Thank _God_ you three made up! I just can’t go back to trying out book clubs,” she then looked over her shoulder at the smiling group behind her and winked. She also threw her hair back dramatically, to downplay the fact that the general happiness in the air was making her a little teary eyed. Who would have guessed that having friends, somewhere to belong, would feel so good?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it!  
> Let me know what you think  
> Thanks for reading!


	28. Terms And Conditions Pt. 2

For the small restaurant, it would have been pretty much a regular Sunday night. It wasn’t exactly a very special place. There was another one that looked pretty much the same right around the corner. It wasn’t famous for its good food either. The only extraordinary thing was how it randomly it became the go-to spot for the family of eight of New York’s best criminals. They didn’t plan for it to happen. It was out of chance, making it seem even more meant to be. It was the place where Debbie made a deal with John Frazier after the Met Gala heist. It was one of Nine Ball’s favorite spots because it had surprisingly good WiFi. It was the place where Daphne and Rose ended up when their first date got sabotaged by paparazzi. In its bathroom, Amita had confessed to Tammy she was pregnant. It was the place Lou and Constance visited every time it was just the two of them. There was no denying it was also a place for _all of them together_. And the spectacle that the very particular group made, that was something else entirely.

“Is the baby kicking?” Tammy asked Amita excitedly.

“Like crazy! I think she’s more than ready to come out,” Amita gushed in response.

Constancee hummed thoughtfully, “I don’t feel anything,” she complained.

“That’s because your hand is in my boob, Constance.”

Aside from a few laughs, the incident also got Constance to receive a light hit in the head by Nine Ball, “Respect the lady. Where’s your girlfriend, Constance, by the way?”

“Nora?” Constance exclaimed, a little too pleased by the assumption, “she’s not my girlfriend. She’s… a very attractive friend.”

Another scoff was heard, this time from Lou, “a very attractive friend that makes you blush like a teenager.”

“Are you suggesting Constance is any older than nineteen?” Debbie added to the debate.

While Constance attempted to stand up for herself, a very different argument was developing on the side.

“I kind of want a burger,” Daphne quietly commented to her girlfriend, “but I totally shouldn’t, right?”

“But you want one?” Rose replied, still staring very seriously at the menu in her hand.

“I do,” Daphne whined, “but I shouldn’t. It’s _so_ against my diet.”

“Then don’t.”

“But I want one!” Daphne repeated. Rose calmly placed her menu on the table, adjusted her glasses on her head and turned to study her girlfriend’s face. “But I shouldn’t.”

“Would you like to share one darling?”

“Maybe,” Daphne admitted happily, a bright smile already showing up in her face.

The actress made a quick move to kiss Rose’s cheek and then fly back to the conversation that had taken over the rest of the table.

“You do know she will take that entire burger?” Debbie whispered to Rose.

The fashion designer was a little startled by the other woman's voice. She was still blushing slightly when she turned to Debbie and with a tone just as hushed said, “would you mind ordering an extra burger just in case?”

“Just in case,” Debbie laughed fondly, “So, are you ready for a lifetime of all that?”

When she didn’t hear an immediate answer, Debbie turned her head towards Rose and found that the woman was done with their conversation it seemed. Rose was busy staring adoringly at her girlfriend. Oh they were more than ready for a lifetime of each other. Meanwhile, Daphne, as focused as she seemed to be in the argument of Constance looking younger than she was or not, she still kept an arm wrapped around Rose, her finger playing carefully with the tips of wild strands of hair that framed Rose’s face. Debbie smiled at the sight. She was half listening to the argument, in fact, she was about ready to add that she had a couple of very interesting little heist rough plans that could use Constance passing as a nineteen year old.

Just then, Debbie felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head right on time for her lips to be found by Lou’s.

Debbie hummed appreciatively into the kiss, but it was over a little too soon. Lou pulled away and Debbie opened her mouth to complain or ask what was that, but her girlfriend beat her to it.

“Just because I wanted to,” Lou mumbled, and the sound of her voice was enough to make Debbie’s heart flutter and sigh to escape her lips.

After that, the group’s evening continued in perfect harmony. Night like those were exactly what they needed. It was about all the fun they had together and all the love they shared with each other. It would be absolute madness to even consider for a second the chance of losing moments like those for the opportunity to pull off the heist of a lifetime in company of her brother, who she loved, admired, and had missed so much, Debbie thought. There was no reason thinking about Danny’s offer… _right?_

Before Debbie could get carried away by her thoughts, Daphne called for the group’s attention.

“Okay so, I have a question,” she started, “It’s great that Debbie came back, because it’s great that we didn’t lose her. But, like, what’s the exact, final verdict, boss?” Daphne asked Debbie.

“I’m glad you asked,” was the first thing Debbie said. She cleared her throat and attempted a smile. Lou and Tammy noticed a hint of nervousness or hesitation in the way Debbie stared at the table, but it was gone in an instant, and Debbie took reigns of herself and the group effortlessly again. “I have a… vision, of what we could be. A team, first and foremost. A family, too. I’d like for all of you to experience a little of what it was like for me to grow up an Ocean, with my dad and brother, the entire family was like this really. Except for my aunt-”

“Ida,” Lou and Tammy echoed Debbie’s voice, earning a few laughs.

“But,” Debbie continued, “I want to take only the best of that experience. I want this to be a little more collaborative. A little less dangerous. I want for us to have each other’s back. I want none of us to ever feel alone, or that you’re risking your entire life for something you don’t really want,” Debbie explained. She was using her measured and professional voice. The one she used when explaining a part of her plans. But they all had known her for long enough, and more importantly Debbie had trusted them enough so that everyone in that table could perceive some more depth in Debbie’s speech, there was an extra layer there when she talked about her own family and what she wished for them. “I want for all of you to have your lives and live them however you want to. I want for all of you to feel loyalty for this family, but out of genuine love, not as a burden or debt or unwanted responsibility. I’d like to know if, given an opportunity like the Met Gala, if I could count with you… That’s it! I’m listening. I want to hear what all of you want and or expect from now on.”

Debbie crossed her arms and leaned back on the booth. It took the group by surprise, a little, the sudden chance to give their opinions. They were still processing the deep meaning of all that Debbie was offering and on top of that she wanted their opinions. The meaningless noise of the rest of the restaurant was a comfortable background, but before Debbie could second guess her invitation, Constance, of course, rose to the occasion.

“Well I’m in,” she proudly raised her arm above her head and shrugged, but her smile was the brightest ever. “You can count me in for anything, mom. I just want to… stay, you know? I like this… I just really like this. I only ask you to not mess it up.”

Debbie wasn’t done nodding proudly at Constance when they were interrupted by a joyful cheer. Daphne. She was smiling as if she had just won an award.

“Me too!” She squealed, “You know what? _This_ is what I wanted. All this female friendship thing,” she made a wide gesture to the table, “I will keep working on my career, of course. As long as you don’t forget who you’re dealing with, Debbie, you can count me in.” She finished with one of her characteristic flick of hair over her shoulder, looking very pleased with herself. Except… “No!” Daphne suddenly blurted out, as if suddenly struck by lighting.

“No?” Debbie stared at her curiously.

“No. I mean, yes. But that’s not it. I have… I actually have one condition.”

“You do?”

“Yes… I don’t want to be… I am not alone, you know? This is not just about me. There’s this one other person that I have to consider.”

There was a long pause then. Everyone was staring at Rose, who’s eyes widened comically when she realized Daphne was talking about her.

“Me?!” she asked, just in case.

“Yes, love. I’ll only stay if you do.”

Rose still looked a little shocked, the gears were still turning in her mind. She couldn’t imagine how they were in such a good place. She almost ruined it once… “Only if you marry me.” she blurted out, guided by her big and impulsive heart.

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Daphne made a double take, her brain reusing to get her hopes up. The rest of the group was watching in stunned silence.

“Right. I know you’ve asked me before and I said we weren’t ready. I’m sorry. It was my mistake,” Rose earnestly explained, placing both her hands against her chest, “But if I could ask you… if you were to ask me again…”

“Would you marry me?”

“Yes,” Rose nodded, “if you asked me that again I would agree immediately!”

“Would you marry me?”

“Of course! I mean, not right now. We would need the proposal and the rings and a ceremony worthy of you, my love, and-”

“Rose,” Daphne interrupted her a little more forcefully but still lovingly, “Would you marry me?” she asked with all the passion she could muster for the question to finally settle.

And it worked. Rose was stunned. The group was still watching, still silent. But for the couple they were alone in the world and this was the most romantic of places and everything was perfect. And it actually was. Everything would always be perfect as long as they had each other.

“Yes!” Rose replied.

Impulsed by her excitement, she involuntarily yerked her arm, causing her plate and silverware on the table to clatter for a moment. She reached out to steady the object and then paused and smiled. She was struck by a beautiful memory.

Rose turned to look at Daphne and found her eyes sparkling, clearly absorbed in the same memory. The day it all started. The day they met. The first question. The first collaboration that brought them all the way here, down a long and often twisted path they were finally there.

“Yes,” Rose repeated a little more softly, “and would _you_ marry me?”

Daphne laughed and stared at Rose adoringly. “Yes, I’d love to!” She didn’t miss another second to kiss the woman she loved.

Their table erupted in loud cheers and clapping and even a few strangers present at the restaurant joined in. The emotional, joyful moment lasted for a while, but eventually they had to go back to their previous subject.

“So, Rose, any conditions from your part?” Debbie questioned her.

The fashion designer took a moment to think. Had it been any regular job offer Rose would have had a long list of requests in order to guarantee she wouldn’t be falling for another bankruptcy. However, this wasn’t a job offer, this was reaffirming they were a family that worked together.

“Right. Well, I can’t have you wearing another designer’s clothes during your future heists, can I?” Rose smiled, “Besides, my future wife and I are a team, we are in this together.”

Rose marked her point by sweetly grabbing Daphne’s hand and exchanging a loving look.

“Can we move on?” Nine Ball interrupted the moment, even though she was smiling just as much as the rest of them.

“Nine,” Debbie addressed her expectantly.

The hacker shrugged and took her turn to answer Debbie’s question, “I have nothing better to do,” a pause, “and I’m kind of bored since Veronica left to study,” a longer pause, Debbie smirked at her, waiting for the real answer. “Okay! Look. just let me do my thing in peace, let me handle our security, always, and don’t doubt me.”

Nine Ball pointed a finger at Debbie, who raised her hands in innocence, “No doubting,” she repeated.

“That’s it, then. I’m on your team. I kind of like you, Deborah.”

“Thank you Leslie,” Debbie said, whispering the name and causing a few laughs around the table, “anyone else? Amita?”

The woman in question looked a little troubled. Before replying, Amita looked down at her stomach. “You know this is scary for me, don’t you?”

“I understand,” Debbie said sincerely.

“You and I both know very well what’s it like to grow up in families that don’t get along with the law,” Amita said softly, “but I don’t think that’s what matters the most. It should all come down to real love, having a family that truly loves you, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they do for a living, you know?” she asked, not exactly expecting a response, because she could tell from across the table that her words had affected Debbie. “And if I’m certain of something it’s that with a family like this one this little girl will never feel unloved.”

“Never,” was the only word that Debbie could get out considering the knot that was growing in her throat.

“I don’t want to compromise her safety. Ever,” Amita continued, pointing a finger at Debbie like Nine Ball had previously done, apparently she was ready to become a protective mother. “And I want her to have a chance at a normal life, if that’s what she wants. Lastly, I want you to be her godmother.”

In an instant, all heads turned towards Debbie at an almost comical speed. The bold leader of the group, however, looked speechless. Amita smiled in understanding and actually presented Debbie with the great question.

“Debbie, will you please be the godmother to be my baby?”

“It would be my honor.”

Although she took the time to answer and gather her strength, Debbie’s ability to keep her composure was admirable. And it was properly celebrated. The table cheered the moment with enough joy to make the rest of the customers in the restaurant smile instead of complain. The cheerful mess continued for a few moments until Debbie cleared her throat, took a quick sip of her drink and turned towards Lou and Tammy.

“Well, there’s only two left,” Debbie smiled, not bothering to hide her nervousness, “any terms and conditions you’d like to mention?”

“We’re still waiting on our diamond rings,” Lou didn’t miss a beat to reply and everyone else was highly thankful for the diversion from the tension of the moment.

After a moment, Lou continued more seriously. She reached out one hand to delicately stroke the side of Debbie’s face. “You know I’m with you, every step of the way,” she smiled softly, her blue eyes sparkling, “I’d rather avoid life or death situations. That’s my condition. I want us all safe. But, that’s not to say I wouldn’t give my life for the two of you.”

For a second the depths of Lou’s words hung in the air like a spell. It was only broken by a whimper coming from the other side of the table.

“Amita, you crying?” Nine Ball asked, actually more amused than concerned.

“No,” the woman in question replied, “it’s the hormones.”

While everyone laughed kindly, Constance addressed Lou, “damn mom, you’re a romantic, huh?”

“Also,” Daphne intervened, “can we all just pretend you said ‘for the seven of you’? Because I’m going to pretend you did.”

Lou laughed along with everyone for a moment and then whispered a little more seriously to Debbie, “I don’t mind to keep going on as we were, I just ask to avoid risking my life. I’m not so interested in putting myself in danger or in harming myself… not anymore.”

“I don’t need to be told twice,” Debbie smiled, “You know I… that’s okay.”

_I would die to protect you, I have as a priority to keep you safe, I’ll never forgive myself for not being there…_

If Debbie had a knot in her throat and couldn’t exactly get those words out, it was understandable for Lou when she turned to look at Tammy and found the woman with her eyes glued to the table, surely trying her best to not cry. Debbie and Tammy had known only two halves of Lou’s story, her two lowest points. Now that they both knew the whole story it was… a lot. But, Lou didn’t feel as sorrowful about it. She was not the kind of person to dwell in the past. She was more than content right where she was and she knew there was no going back to darker times now.

Eventually, Tammy cleared her throat, “Are we really doing this?” she asked Debbie.

“Yes. I understand now that one of our biggest issues in the past was not talking about this kind of things,” Debbie explained. “I, personally, would like to keep working to some extent, as long as all of you are happy and your requirements are fulfilled.” As Debbie talked, some members of the group smiled knowingly. It felt as if every time Debbie Ocean said more than two sentences contiguously she adopted her “big heist plan” explanation voice. Wasn’t everything in some way a part of Debbie’s great scheme? “Which apparently includes planning a wedding, blindly trusting a hacker, raising a child, and also raising Amita’s baby.”

A beat of silence passed until, “Wait…” Constance mumbled, counting with her fingers Debbie’s explanations, while everyone else watched amused.

“Seriously though,” Debbie continued, “I really want to know what you expect.”

“I’m not so sure anymore,” Tammy sighed.

“That’s okay.”

Debbie reached out one hand to tenderly hold one of Tammy’s hand. It was strange that it took them most of their lives to figure out they wanted the same thing, but they wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I don’t mind continuing to work. You know, and you’ve probably always known, that I love this life a little more than I’d like to admit. I’d like to have a home, a place that we can always come back to, a place that feels safe, where we don’t have to hide, or lie.” Tammy shrugged and then she stared at Debbie a little differently, as if she had just put together the last piece of a very important puzzle. “All this time I’ve been wanting to ask you to maybe not put your heists as your number one priority in life… but I don’t think I even have to ask at this point. It isn’t your priority anymore, is it?”

“No it’s not,” Debbie shook her head lightly, “Not anymore.”

“You’ve changed,” Tammy stated with a smile.

In response, Debbie shrugged playfully, a trait that Tammy could swear she picked up from Lou.

“It’s okay babe, we still love you even if you become boring,” Lou added.

From that point on, it was like all the tension, the anxiety and the apprehension they had been carrying for days, months, and even years for some of them, it had vanished. It wasn’t a magic trick, it wasn’t like in the blink of an eye the fog cleared and they all realized they were finally standing on solid ground. But if they all could agree on something it was on feeling like the hard times were melting all around them, ready to be a part of the past.

For once, the group seemed to silently agree to spare Debbie of yet another grand speech to promise them her loyalty and love and all the things the came along with it. They easily feel into one last round of chatter and laughs before they would get kicked out of the restaurant.

However, it was not over until Nine Ball took advantage of a brief second of silence to thoughtfully mention, “Huh, I should maybe buy this place…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well finally!  
> I hope everyone liked this!!! I love the little hiest family!  
> Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think! :)


	29. A Classic

Lou was lying on her bed, eyes closed and a perfectly relaxed expression on her face. She was absentmindedly running her fingers through Debbie’s hair, who was currently resting her head on her girlfriend’s lap. Despite the calmness that the scene suggested, they were discussing plans of the most chaotic kind.

“ _Wait, wait_ , let’s go back to what you said about the banks,” Debbie said.

“I was saying that I can’t get off my head what you said the next day after you got out of prison.”

“The ten banks?”

“It could be fun.”

Debbie hummed in agreement, “Are you thinking like a marathon kind of thing or all the banks at once?”

“Babe, we don’t even have ten members on out team,” Lou laughed, “obviously we can’t rob ten banks simultaneously.”

“Oh don’t give her a challenge!” Tammy exclaimed from the doorway, she was just coming into the room but she had heard enough, “I bet you she’s already halfway through a plan and we won’t be able to stop her now."

“Yes, actually, can you pass me some pen and paper?” Debbie said, only partially joking, as they were all aware.

“No,” Tammy laughed and plopped down on the bed beside her. She was lying on her stomach, and when Lou called her attention she propped herself up on her elbows.

“How are the children?” Lou asked with a smirk.

“Let’s see…” Tammy made a jokingly thoughtful gesture and the other two women laughed affectionately at her, “Constance is having a date… _again_.”

“Did you tell she has a curfew?” Debbie asked while laughing.

“I did! She has a few ugly words for us,” Tammy chuckled and then continued, “Nine Ball is… out. Doing Nine Ball stuff,” she shrugged and Debbie and Lou nodded resignedly, “Amita… last time I checked she was having a nap.”

“Lucky her,” Lou grumbled, “doesn’t get her naps crashed by two gorgeous but annoying criminals.” Her words made Tammy playfully gasp and frown at her, but when Lou winked and whispered “just kidding,” she righted everything again as easy as that.

“Get used to it,” Debbie told her, further cuddling into Lou, “I had five years of that, now I’m never sleeping alone again… Now, what about the brides-to-be?” Debbie brought them back to the original subject.

“Um, maybe looking for a wedding party location, maybe looking for their future home, I’m not sure, I just know I caught sight of a picture of a castle on the computer screen.”

The three of them went on to talk about their friends, their new family, sharing jokes and laughs as they lay in bed. Debbie and Lou had barely moved, but the hand of Lou that had previously been laying at her side, was now caught by Tammy, who started to play with the rings on her fingers, taking them off, twisting them around, moving them to different fingers, occasionally placing little kisses on Lou’s hand.

“Hey, what was it about the banks you girls were talking about when I came in?” Tammy asked after a moment of comfortable silence had passed.

Lou answered her, “Debbie is ecstatic that she’s been granted permission to keep stealing and she doesn’t want to waste another day.”

“You’re making it sound as if I needed permission,” Debbie complained, however she soon caught sight of Tammy’s face, her playfully raised eyebrow and questioning look, “What do you think, honey? Do you like banks?” Debbie asked her then, feigning innocence.

Tammy smiled and decided to let it pass, rather focusing on the question, “Banks? Are you sure?”

“No, I mean, I got a little carried away thinking,” Debbie explained herself, “but I do think the team could use a few harmless little cons to have some fun these days.”

Seeing Tammy nod happily in agreement took a huge weight off Debbie’s shoulders. They were all really doing their best at trying to find a middle ground in their interests and making life something they all wanted.

Lou smirked and said, “I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

 

 

A few days later, it was time. Debbie had been dodging questions from Lou and Tammy about her brother’s whereabouts. Nine Ball had finished the mostly legal paperwork to buy the small restaurant the group loved so much and the process to turn it into her personalized place was starting soon. Amita had gone through her first scare of feeling like she was about to give birth, and now she had an actual date set in a little over a week. Rose and Daphne hadn’t settled on a date or place for the wedding but they had at least five different possible designs for their dresses. Constance had accidentally said to them all in the middle of a conversation that she loved Nora and the group had been relentlessly teasing her about it. Finally, when Debbie considered it the right time, she called for a meeting.

“Alright, ladies, we are taking a new approach for our next heist. It will be _a classic_ , something fun and relatively harmless to get you all initiated on something other than ‘biggest jewelry heist in history’. How does that sound?” she waited for a few murmured agreements and continued under the expectant stares of her team. “However, I do want to try something new. I do appreciate and love how each of you has something special and unique to bring to the team that most of us can’t. But… it might be wise if we all learned a couple of new things from each other, wouldn’t it? Yes, Rose?”

The fashion designer had raised her hand to participate and all she said was “Right. Can I just share that I’m already scared?”

Debbie laughed, delighted. “It’ll be fun! I promise. Lou? Would you mind get us started?” Debbie moved off to the side and Lou walked up to take her place in front of the group. When they crossed each other’s paths they exchanged a brief yet intimate touch of hands.

“Ladies, we are working in teams of two,” Lou started, “We are starting by the basics. Pickpocketing 101, let’s say. We’re splitting up, an expert and a novice, visiting selected stores and then meeting up back here. Debbie goes with Rose, starting from zero. Tammy goes with Daphne, teaching the superstar how to blend in. I’ll go with pregnant Amita, it's never to early to teach a baby the basics. Constance goes with Nine Ball, hopefully the over energetic kid gets the hacker to move her ass away from behind a screen and into the real action. Any questions?” She didn’t wait for questions though. She ignored if anybody had questions at all. Lou nodded at Amita to follow and started walking away. The other couples following the example, half of the team a little hesitantly and the other half very eagerly already.

 

 

All the couples split into different stores along the variety of markets, dollar stores, medium sized clothing stores, anything easy enough just to get them started. Debbie decided to take Rose to a clothing store big enough to make it interesting, easy enough to keep Rose safe and comfortable.

“I’m going to tell you a secret,” Rose whispered to Debbie while they walked through the aisles, “I’ve never stolen anything in my life.”

“You mean, besides the heart of the movie star that gave you that diamond ring?” Debbie smiled and pointed at the gorgeous engagement ring that the fashion designer proudly wore on her finger. “Also the $150 million dollars necklace she wore that one time.”

For a moment Rose could done nothing but blush and giggle a little bit, she then composed herself. “Right, _before_ I met all of you, I meant,” she clarified, “besides, I didn’t actually take the necklace off her neck, you know?”

“Well that’s why we’re here,” Debbie tried to go on with a simple explanation of what Rose had to do next, how to proceed. Rose, however, was quickly distracted.

“Hey! I know who designed this!” Rose walked up to a row of simple, if not ugly shirts. “These need a designer?” Debbie mumbled under her breath, also not seeing any names anywhere. “He was awful to me when I first started on the business!” Rose frowed, picking one of the items up and staring at it.

“Well I can tell you which one of you had more success,” Debbie laughed, “You. Obviously.”

It touched Rose’s heart, the sincerity that she could hear in Debbie’s words. It seemed that after her short bankrupt period everybody had forgotten her previous success, but it seemed not everyone did. The problem was, Rose couldn’t focus for too long on her friend’s words, because Debbie had made some few quick movements and one shirt had simply disappeared somewhere in her coat. “Your turn,” Debbie said when she was done.

Rose’s mouth had opened up a little and for some reason the only words that came out were “Right… I don’t want any of those ugly things.”

Debbie laughed at that, “Well that’s why you won’t be paying for it.”

This time Rose actually gasped softly. She took a moment to think it through, the wheels turning inside her head.

“I can take _two_ of those,” she said finally.

 

 

After arguing for nearly five minutes, Lou lost the argument that the very pregnant Amita should get in the bike with her. So, a quick change of plans later and the two of them found themselves in a different store than planned. However, Amita wasn’t done arguing with the blonde.

“I don’t know, Lou, I think I’m too pregnant for this,” she said, gesturing at her stomach, “won’t this call too much attention on me?”

Lou looked down at her friend’s stomach with a thoughtful expression on her face for a few seconds and then shrugged, “I think it also means you have more space where to hide things don’t you?”

Amita stayed quiet for a moment, let the silence settle, then she said “Are you sure we were meant to be paired together on this?”

The blonde only scoffed and said “Come on,” starting them on their mission. Their worked efficiently for a while, Amita was doing a great job, and Lou hadn’t understood a single thing about pregnancy from the small talk they were sharing.Eventually, Amita just had to ask.

“Do you even see yourself having kids someday, Lou?”

By response, Lou silently stare at Amita’s face, then to her heavy stomach that was making everything harder, nearly impossible, even just walking, and then back at Amita’s face. “God no.”

Her friend rolled her eyes, “okay I don’t mean _you_ you. But just... wanting kids? What about Debbie? Tammy?”

“We have five kids at home,” Lou grumbled over her shoulder as she walked faster around the store, Amita barely keeping up behind her.

“Lou!”

“What?!”

“Have you even talked about it?”

Finally Lou gave up and stopped, turned around to stare at Amita. By then her pockets were filled with many more products than a few minutes ago. Apparently she shoplifted when nervous.

“Did Debbie send you to ask me this?”

“No!”

“Tammy?”

“No,” Amita said a little softer but just as sincerely.

Lou stayed silent, staring at her, and just when Amita thought she would share something important, “I know we can’t do much about your stomach but you could hide a lot around here,” Lou said, gesturing at Amita’s chest.

“Lou!”

“Fine! I’ll wait outside. If you succeed taking something on your own I’ll tell you everything.”

She walked out of the store without adding anything else. In the end, Amita came out victorious, but Lou had so much fun watching her friend pull out a pair of cheap bracelets and a necklace from her bra that she didn’t even mind.

“Look, Amita, I’ve been a huge mess for ninety percent of my adult life,” Lou started to explain. “Debbie has been in prison. We are clearly not meant to be parents. Tammy is just deceiving. She may look the part, but she’s far from wanting to be a regular suburban mom. She has said she has more than enough with her niece and nephew. We all have enough with you guys. Now, can I keep that necklace?”

 

 

Tammy wasn’t exactly having an easy time dealing with Daphne. “I’m telling you, it’s not that you aren’t a good actress…”

“I know it’s not that. I’m a great actress,” Daphne said over her shoulder as she basically strutted down the aisles of the store Tammy had chosen. She was treating it almost like a runway and Tammy was almost jogging to keep up with her.

“You can’t just be _yourself_. You are Daphne Kluger. You are famous. You’ll get recognized!”

Daphne threw one more smile over her shoulder and flipped her hair, “I am Daphne Kluger and I am famous, thanks for noticing!” she laughed. Then she stopped abruptly, Tammy almost knocked into her. She had wandered into the snacks section and happily picked up a jar of Nutella, “Rose’s favorite!”

“That’s too big, it’s impractical for today,” Tammy commented beside her, but Daphne only rolled her eyes at her, which brought Tammy to her next whispered comment, “unless you can turn your huge ego into a bag.”

“Excuse me?” Daphne turned to stare at her.

“Can you wear sunglasses, at least? Please?”

Tammy’s request met a frown from Daphne. “Those never work. Ever.” The actress shook her head negatively and Tammy only stared at her as if trying to solve the mystery of Daphne’s perfectly styled hair.

Twenty minutes and plenty of pictures taken later, Tammy and “Oh my God it’s Daphne Kluger!” walked out of the small store after the owner gave Daphne a bag full of Nutella jars for free. Tammy would have been annoyed had the owner not given her something for free too because she was “Daphne Kluger’s friend, the real Daphne Kluger!”

“I guess you didn’t learn anything but we can totally use this as a secret weapon to our advantage.”

Tammy shrugged, but she was about to be surprised. Daphne pulled from her bag a pack of oreo cookies. Those weren’t included in the gifts from the store owner.

“I’m great at everything I do, Tammy. And _these_ are my favorites,” Daphne showed a dazzling smile and dropped her cookies among the jars of Nutella, “Rose and I are going to share.”

With that being said, Daphne started to walk, more like strut away, leaving time to trail behind her, proudly chuckling to herself.

 

 

To Nine Ball’s surprise, she found herself walking after Constance into an electronics store. “Aren’t we supposed to go into like small places?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at the shelves of expensive equipment around her.

“Hey, you like your hacker stuff, I like a challenge, we can do better than a dollar store,” Constance shrugged happily, she made a sharp turn between aisles and she had something in her pocket already before she got to the next sentence. “Besides, you could hide a lot in all that hair you have.”

After a quick slap to the back to Constance head Nine Ball laughed, “are you sure you’re tall enough for this?”

With Constance guidance, in a matter of minutes Nine Ball had her pockets filled up with way more than what Debbie expected went she sent them out in the adventure. Constance, however, looked like she was just starting.

“Come one, there’s so much more we could do! I haven’t shown you all my tricks,” she complained, chasing Nine Ball who was walking straight for the exits of the big store.

“Hey we have enough stuff and I’m tired, I’m leaving.”

“Hold on!” Constance exclaimed and rushed to stand in from of the hacker and block her path, “I know what should be our grand finale!”

Nine Ball nodded at her, willing to listen. Instead of speaking, though, Constance messed a little with the beanie on her head and then pulled it down, resulting in an improvised ski mask, a little crooked but it got the idea across. She could just picture Debbie and everyone else’s reaction when they watched on the news the robbery of a local store. Either Debbie would be proud and overjoyed or pretty mad at her, either way Constance would love it. On the other hand…

“Hell no,” Nine Ball laughed, “you’re crazy.”

Still smiling the hacker continued to walk away and then left the store. Constance followed her, not without complaining. “Dude you’re so boring! I bet Daphne would have gone along with it!”

She still had her improvised ski mask on, so when she reached the door and the oblivious security guard stared at her weirdly, Constance pulled the beanie entirely off her head and with her hair messed up as it was nodded at the man and confidently said “Have a nice day,” then she walked away like an innocent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there it is!!  
> remember when I wanted to make this fic Angsty?? lol  
> i won't even talk about the end of this fic. who knows anymore  
> i hope you guys liked it! let me know what you think  
> thanks for reading!


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